


Never Argue With a Bunny

by FoxInTheHenHouse



Series: Never series [1]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2017-09-16
Packaged: 2018-09-12 05:52:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 36,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9058384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoxInTheHenHouse/pseuds/FoxInTheHenHouse
Summary: Nick can't take it anymore and finally takes the plunge. However the response he gets is not one he was expecting. M rating for later chapters.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first ever fanfic. Never was even interested in them or "shipping" until some bozo posted a screenshot of one and I got hooked. Curse you!
> 
> Hadn't written in years so it may seem a bit rusty for a while.
> 
> Oh and I own nothing. I even had to steal this computer mouse from work.

_C_ _'_ _mon Nick, just do it already._

_Are you insane? I can't just put myself out like that._

_You're talking to yourself right now. Of course you're insane. Just look at her. Even I haven't taken up as much time in your head as she has the past few months._

Almost against his will Nick cast a glance to the vision of beauty next to him. The small, gray ball of fluff laying into his side. Absorbed in the movie they were watching, she didn't notice his mask completely vanish. His trademark smirk was gone. The mischievous twinkle in his emerald eyes replaced by a sad longing.

Why fate had to be cruel and decide his heart should be tied to this mammal, a _bunny_ of all things, he'd never understand, but tied it was. For so long she had been all he could think about. From the moment he woke to the last sight of night, she encompassed his thoughts. Even his dreams weren't off-limits. Some of them so risque he would have to take a few cold showers each night just to not go insane.

_Just do it already._

_I can't! She's my friend. My_ best _friend. The entire reason I even have this life._

_But it's not enough anymore, is it?_

_It damn well can be! I'm not going to ruin the best thing I've ever had simply because my hormones can't keep stay in their pants._

_HORMONES? You lying sack of shit. You and I both know this ain't a temporary thing. You've been pining for this girl for over a year!_

_I have not. Maybe a few we-_

_You know damn well this started during the Nighthowler case. Add on the 9 months of the Academy where you called her every single night, and now the 3 months you've been together on the force. You can't even admit it to yourself how badly you want to move past the 'friend' stage. Look at her. Take a good long look and if you can convince yourself that it's not what you want, then we bury it for good._

Nick carefully let out a breathless sigh knowing Judy's overly sensitive ears would pick it up. He gazed at her. Let his eyes wash over her small form. Admiring the tips of her ears to the bottom of her feet. She was dressed in a simple outfit designed for the comfort of their movie nights. A flannel shirt that he teased her about being a farmer's girl and a pair of black leggings that, while innocent, gave him ample opportunity to admire her form.

While she was indeed beautiful, there was so much more to her than simple looks. The way her nose twitched when she started getting excited by the movie. How her ears would flop down her back during the romantic scenes. The tears that built up in her violet eyes when the two lovers finally met. Yes, there was so much more to this special bunny. _His_ bunny.

He knew what he had to do. But man was it going to push him way past his comfort zone.

".…C-" His first attempt caught in his throat barely making a audible squeak. "Carrots?"

"Yeah Nick?" Judy replied not taking her eyes off the movie.

"I, um, I need to talk to you about something," he stammered.

She raised herself into a sitting position. "Yeah sure, what is it?"

He took a deep breath. "I…I…" She looked at him quizzically, head cocked to the side.

_I can't say it!_

_If you can't say it then just do it!_

He reached out and grabbed Judy's face and quickly hauled her in for a hard kiss. It wasn't passionate, it wasn't chaste, but it was meant to portray all the emotions Nick had been bottling up for so long. To make _sure_ she wouldn't misunderstand anything.

Opening his eyes he wasn't sure what to expect. Anger? Embarrassment? Dare he hope to see love reflected back? A genuine look of shock was certainly on the list but not to the degree Judy showed at that moment. Her ears were standing up straighter than he had ever seen and looked locked in place. Her amethyst eyes were completely wide open and her muzzle showed no emotion at all.

Nick wasn't sure what to do. None of the scenarios he had imagined played out like this. He had no plan, no strategy, nothing. All he could do was sit there as Judy stood, pocketed her phone, and left silently.


	2. Bad to still very bad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I do appreciate feedback so reviews are great guys.
> 
> Disclaimer, yada yada, I don't own anything.

Nick was fucked. Mentally, emotionally, and physically screwed. After Judy had left, he sat in that spot for hours going over his own stupidity. Why? Why had he done it? He knew it would ruin everything and it had. Stupid brain. Stupid, _stupid_ brain.

After spending a long time beating himself up, he finally passed out around 4am. When his alarm went off at 5:30, he glared at the offending device, ripped it from the wall, and smashed it to the ground. Grumbling and muttering curses under his breath, he slowly slid his legs out from under the bed sheet and stumbled to his feet. Reaching into his closet, his grabbed a new alarm clock and set it for 5:30am. _Damn appliance stores are bleeding me dry,_ he thought.

While he usually was not one for being up on time, today he needed to be. There was a lot at stake, none of it having to do with his job. Hopping in the shower, he spent a few minutes pondering his current situation and how to fix it. After much deliberation, he decided that there was no way to come back from this gracefully and he would simply have to wing it. Oh goody.

After attending to his grooming and pulling on his uniform, he made ready to head out. As had been his routine for the last 3 months, he checked his phone for the usual morning text he would get from Carrots, deciding if they would meet at her door or his and where they would get their coffee for the day. After seeing nothing, for the first time in nearly a year, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and his frown turned into something a bit more emotional.

_Don't let them see they get to you.  
_

His mantra for his entire life. But "they" didn't apply to Carrots. It never had. He knew of no defense against her. Her ability to see right through his facade was unnerving, yet so welcomed after so many years of loneliness.

He stepped out into the sidewalk and began his slow walk to the precinct. He didn't live too far, maybe a 10 minute walk, but he decided to take his time today. Roll call wasn't for another 45 minutes and he needed time to think.

_What do I say when I see her? Do I even say anything? It's not like I can just go up to her and be like 'hey sorry about the misunderstanding. It was just a joke kiss.' She knows exactly what I meant by that kiss. There's no way to handle this where I can come out on top._

_Nope. You're totally fucked.  
_

_You're not helping.  
_

_Sorry, sorry. I'll just be over here waiting for the ship to sink.  
_

Before he knew it his foot had hit the first step of the precinct. Shaken from his thoughts he climbed to the front door and entered the building. Still a bit distracted, he forgot about the one thing that could make this morning start off any wors-

"O. M. GOO-…Oh my god. Nick. You look terrible! Are you okay?" The bubbly cheetah behind the counter was so shocked by Nick's appearance that he nearly fell over the counter.

Nick clapped a hand to his face. *Sigh* "I'm fine Spots. It's just…it's been a rough morning."

Clawhauser continued to look at Nick worriedly. "I know it's more than a rough morning, Nick. I've been your friend since you joined the force and in all that time, I've never seen you look so dejected. Something happened. I know it did."

"I appreciate your concern, Spots, but really, all I need is a couple dozen espressos and I'll be good to go." Nick flashed his signature smirk. "By the way, have you seen Carrots this morning?"

Clawhauser frowned and didn't look convinced by Nick's explanation, but he wasn't going to pry too far. "Judy went into the Bullpen about 45 minutes ago."

Nick looked at the clock. "That's almost an hour early! What has she been doing in there this whole time?"

"I don't know but the rest of the squad should be in there by now. You should probably head in."

"Alright Spots, thanks."

"I hope you start feeling better!"

Nick waved back over his shoulder.

_There's something going on with him, alright,_ Clawhauser mused. _Something happened between him and Judy. Had to have been something big.  
_

Because for the first time in anyone's memory, Judy Hopps had come into work without a certain spring in her step. Without her cheerful demeanor. Without that certain spark of life in those deep amethyst eyes. And unless something happened soon, it may just destroy the greatest partnership Zootopia's police force had ever seen.


	3. Darkest before the dawn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hope you all are enjoying the story
> 
> Disclaimer: I still don't own anything although not for lack of trying. Did you know banks won't give loans to buy movie rights?

The bullpen was always one of Nick's favorite parts of the morning. Not only did he get to sit next to his favorite bunny, but it gave him an opportunity to rub shoulders with some of his other cop buds before Bogo would walk in for morning assignments. Unsurprisingly, this morning didn't exactly match up with the previous ones.

"Jeez Nick. You look like shit."

Nick glanced over his shoulder at the lion sitting in the back. "Thanks Delgato. I really appreciated that pep talk."

"Seriously man, are you ok?" came a concerned voice from the wolf he just passed.

"Never better, Wolford. Thanks anyway buddy."

Wolford exchanged a look with Delgato but neither of them had any real answer to why their comrade looked so…pitiful.

Nick slunk up to the front of the room and, seeing Judy already in their normal chair, quickly glanced around the room to find another spot to sit. None of this went unnoticed by the rest of the room. Fangmeyer raised his brow and glanced over at Grizzoli. The polar bear was as surprised as he was and could only shrug with a baffled expression.

Not seeing any other seats, he grit his teeth and climbed up into the larger chair. Office Hopps scooted over enough for him to sit in the seat, never dropping her stoic expression or unfolding her clenched paws. Nick for his part only glanced at her once before he too adopted a mask of sheer professionalism, even though underneath that mask he was slowly sinking deeper into a pit of despair he hadn't felt in nearly 20 years.

Their lack of conversation was shocking to all of their friends. McHorn, the rhino who had sat next to Hopps for over a year and Wilde for the past 3 months was stunned speechless. Carefully he nudged the fox, making sure not to attract Hopp's attention. When Nick looked up at McHorn, the rhino merely sent him a look that told him as clear as if it were spoken, _what happened to you two?_

Nick shrugged his shoulders but as he turned away his mask slipped ever so slightly and McHorn saw the look of pain cross the fox's face. An almost infinite sadness seemed to radiate in that brief moment before Nick slid behind the mask once more but the damage had been done.

McHorn looked back at the entire room, his face conveying to all that something was wrong with their newest recruit. No. Not just wrong. Devastating. Whatever had happened between Hopps and Wilde was so destructive that she was losing her drive and he, well, he was losing everything else.

At that moment Chief Bogo entered the room to give out the daily assignments. While he never really showed it, the pounding on the tables from his officers gave him a bit of a bit of a jump start in the morning. It was a daily ritual that he took pride of his officers and their dedication to the job at hand. He had made it to the podium before he realized that the room was completely silent. Alarmed, he looked up immediately, noticing that every single one of his officers was staring at Hopps and Wilde. Letting his gaze slide over to them, his brow raised a fraction of an inch, however to anyone who knew him well, that tiny movement conveyed a lot.

Gone was the excitement in the two officers. There was no casual smirk on the fox's muzzle. No suppressed grin behind the rabbit's paws from some dumb joke Wilde would normally crack. Just two very stoic, very _serious_ officers at the table. It scared the hell out of him.

Pulling himself together and deciding that this was something they would need to work out for themselves, he started giving out assignments. Once all of the other officers had shuffled out, he looked over Hopps and Wilde closely. "There's been some reports of petty theft in Sahara Square this week, the latest of which was from an antique store seeming to indicate that the thief is done playing small time and getting ready to move to the big leagues. I want you to patrol the streets and see if you can track him down."

Hopps got up to retrieve the file without a sound. Bogo held onto it for a second longer. "Are you sure you can handle this today Hopps? I need focused individuals on this one."

"It won't be a problem, Chief."

"Good. Wilde? You on board as well?"

Nick glanced over quickly at Judy who was still avoiding looking at him. "Yes sir, Chief. Job comes first when the badge is on."

Bogo gave a curt nod. "Then get out there and stop this thief before it gets any worse."

His two best officers nodded and walked out of the bullpen. _This is going to be one hell of a shitstorm if this doesn't get resolved soon_ , thought Bogo.

* * *

Cruising through Sahara Square was usually a boring assignment, even if they were after criminals. Usually though they had conversation to fall back on. Witty banter back and forth, discussing office rumors, talking about what was going on at the Hopps farm. It kept them entertained while they just drove around. Today however was a different story. A horrible story. The silence they had experienced for the last 5 hours was not only deafening, it was enough to think their ears had fallen off altogether.

Nick turned to Judy but before he even opened his mouth, Judy cut him off."No, Nick."

"Carrots please, we need to talk about this. About last night."

"No, we don't."

"I can't stand this. I can't stand not being able to talk to you. I-I made a mistake." Judy ears twitched. "It was just a stupid thought in my head that I acted on without thinking about it. Maybe I was just tired, ya know?"

"...Tired."

"Yes!" Nick practically jumped at the opening. "I was just tired, that's all. We had been watching that RomCom, I thought things that weren't there. Just bad timing, right?"

Nick watched as Judy's ears twitched violently before settling down. "Let's just do our job, Nick. What does the report say the suspect looks like."

Nick sighed heavily at the lost opportunity. "Suspect is a tiger, male, roughly 400-450 pounds. Was wearing a black baseball cap and a tan muscle shirt. Kinda like that guy over there."

Judy slammed on the brakes, causing Nick to slam into the dashboard. "Ow Carrots! What the hell?"

"That's the guy right there, you moron." Nick winced at the term. She'd never called him a moron before. Dumb Fox, sure, but that was their little private game. This was a real insult.

Piling out of the car, Nick yelled "ZPD! Freeze!"

Unsurprisingly the tiger bolted down the road, throwing smaller mammals aside left and right. Even while that took some of the speed out of the predator, Nick knew he was never going to reach him, and with the civilians present he couldn't get a clean shot with his tranq dart. He began to call for Judy to see if she could catch him, only to see her halfway down the road, leaping over prey and pred alike, quickly closing the distance. What Nick didn't expect to see was Judy leap to a light pole at max speed and use it to launch herself at the back of the tiger's head. Slamming her hind paws into the back of his skull sent the tiger flying into the side of a brick building, cracking the wall and, more than likely, the tiger's face as well.

Nick ran up as she was cuffing the suspect to a pole. "Jesus Carrots! What was that? You could have killed that guy!"

"Maybe. But I didn't." She turned and walked back to the cruiser while he radioed for a larger cruiser to come pick up the, now unconscious, suspect. Nick quickly checked him over for any signs of severe bleeding and the standard signs for any internal bleeding. He had a minor concussion but otherwise he was going to be fine to put in jail.


	4. Misery loves company, but how much is too much?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: We're mixing it up with some drama. Don't worry, the "M" rating is still coming.
> 
> Disclaimer: Disney couldn't find a way to sue me since I don't own anything. Victory! I think...

Later that afternoon, they sat in their joint office, writing up the day's report on the thief and his apprehension. Judy finished her report fairly early and filed it to be brought to Bogo. Grabbing her bag, she headed out for the night. Nick, ever the curious one, decided to see exactly what Judy had put in her file to be done so quickly. Opening it up, he briefly skimmed the document before letting out a strangled gasp.

**_"Officer report, Judith Hopps, Sahara Square, Suspicion of theft._ **

**_At 1500 hours officers Wilde and myself apprehended a male tiger matching the description of a suspected thief. During a brief chase, I, officer Hopps, apprehended the suspect by utilizing extreme physical force, potentially causing damage to the suspect's face and neck. Suspect was cuffed and transported to a holding facility to await arraignment._ **

**_Sworn statement by Officer Judith Hopps."_ **

Nick's hands were shaking by the end of the paper. _Does she even understand what this could mean? This could get her suspended, possibly even charged! Excessive force is never to be employed in the way she did, and even if it was, you don't just write it down and send it to the Chief!_

Quickly rebooting her computer, Nick carefully reworded her statements, trying to downplay the events in a manner that may get the Chief riled up but not to the point she was dismissed from the precinct. Forging her signature was easy, but erasing the words from his mind was far more difficult.

 _Why would she do that? Is it because of what I did? Oh god…is it so she could be sent_ away _from me? Have I ruined our friendship that much that she would be willing to toss away her life's dream?_

Nick logged off his own computer and slowly shrugged his bag onto his shoulder. Shuffling into the lobby, he was only slightly shocked to see that the day shift had all gone home. Vaguely waving at the antelope on desk duty, he pushed his way out the door and stumbled down the stairs. Normally he would grab a taxi after a long shift, but tonight he needed to walk. He _had_ to walk. As if it was an unconscious penance for his actions. Normally the streets at night weren't the safest place to be, but usually his badge was enough to warn off any potential threats. Tonight however, the very air itself was his protector. Such misery flowed from the fox that anyone within range cringed and fell back.

Unbeknownst to him, a single pair of eyes followed him from the minute he left the ZPD to the second he disappeared inside his apartment lobby. Eyes brimming with tears.

Eyes of brilliant violet.

* * *

If you had told any officer at Precinct 1 that the next morning was going to be even strange than the last, they would have called you crazy, put you in a straight jacket, and locked you in the drunk tank for the day. But by the end of roll call, almost every single officer would rather _be_ in the drunk tank than be witness to what was going on. If the sight of the unbreakable Judy Hopps being without her normal spunk was unsettling, then the small mammal in the front row was downright disturbing.

Head buried in her paws, Judy sat weeping uncontrollably. Her fellow officers were in shock. Not a single one knew what to do. Francine made an attempt to pat her shoulder but it only resulted in an even greater amount of tears to spill forth, causing Francine to immediately retreat. All of the officers started glancing at each other nervously. Nothing _breaks_ Hopps. Nothing. She faced Nighthowlers without a care in the world. She's taken down animals 10 times her size without ever hesitating. She even beat down Bogo into letting her work with a broken leg _before_ she went to the hospital. Whatever could do this to her had to be something major.

Judy's ears twitched suddenly. A look of fear flashed across her face and she immediately bolted from the chair and out the side door, still crying. If anything this new action confused the room even more until the main door swung in to show what appeared to be the world's most miserable fox, shuffling through into the bullpen.

An immediate understanding swept the room as every officer realized the seriousness of the state of their two friends and exactly what must be going on between them. This wasn't simply partners having a disagreement as they thought yesterday. This was something so much deeper. Nearly everyone in the precinct knew about Hopps and Wilde. Their chemistry both on and off the job was legendary. Something horrible had severed that connection and neither of them looked like they were going to be able to recoup.

Nick slowly walked to his regular chair, barely registering that Judy wasn't there waiting for him. As he sat down, he noticed there was water that had splashed onto the chair and table. Starting to wipe it off, he realized that it wasn't water. The feel of it, slightly denser. Different smell. They were…tears? _Why would there be tears on the desk?_

Suddenly wide eyed and fully alert, he looked up to McHorn who blinked, then nodded his head toward the side door Hopps had just left through. Nick was halfway down from his chair when Chief Bogo walked through that very door.

"WILDE! Sit. Down. Now."


	5. Secrecy is a fickle thing, especially at the ZPD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So mainly this has all been drama mixed with fluff which is how the buildup is going to be. Yes I have some "lemon" I think they call it or w/e planned, but that will be later.
> 
> Disclaimer: What is it with executives and generic letters? Just spam my email with denials to buy Zootopia. At least then I can just delete em all at once. My mailman hates me.

Judy ran out of the bullpen before Nick could walk in. Tears running down her face, almost blinding her, she managed to dodge Chief Bogo and duck into a nearby storage closet. She hugged her knees to her chest as she let all of her pent up emotions loose. The last 2 days had been probably the most miserable of her life. She was quite content to just sit there on the floor for the next century so she wouldn't have to face anyone ever again, but fate had other plans apparently.

A light tapping of claws on the door stunned her enough to stop her crying long enough to stare fearfully at the door.

"Judy, sweetie, can I come in?" came the voice of one of Judy's best friends.

"Yes, she whispered. "You can come in Ben."

A sliver of light spilled through the doorway revealing Office Clawhauser looking down at the sobbing bunny. Sidling in he quickly sat down and held his arms out. Judy slowly crawled into his hug. Burying her face into his puffy shirt she let forth a new stream of tears.

"Whoa there fuzz, I only got the one shirt today," Ben joked.

Judy chuckled slightly through her tears before leaning back and resting on his knee. Wiping her face with her paws she tried to slow her crying.

"Okay miss bunny. What's got you locked in a closet crying enough tears to float your own canoe?"

Judy sniffed and ran her sleeve over her nose. "It's nothing Ben. I just felt like I needed to cry. I'm fine now."

Ben cast her a look that that just screamed _LIAR_. "Honey, I know why you're in here. I know what's been killing you the last couple of days, and you do too. So let's not beat around the bush for too long because Bogo will skin me and turn me into a rug once he finds out I left the desk. What's been going on with you and Nick?"

Judy's head shot up, her eyes wide and alarmed. "N-Nick?! There's n-nothing going on with me and Nick. He's my partner. He's my friend. My _best_ friend. Nothing could ever be going on between me and N-…" She broke off her rant at Clawhauser's raised brow. And then something inside her just snapped.

"FINE! FINE! I love the stupid asshole, alright? I love the smug prick with his stupid smirk, and those stupid glasses, and his obsessive need to always be right! I haven't been able to stop thinking about him for months and then after he kissed m-"

"HE KISSED YOU?!" squealed Ben. "O M Go-"

"BEN SHUT UP! I can't stand this. I can't take it anymore. I can't sleep, I can't eat, I can't even do my job. Nick even had to falsify records to keep me from being fired yesterday." Judy collapsed back into the corner.

There was a short pause before she spoke again. "When he kissed me, I was so surprised that I couldn't think straight. I knew that I loved him but I wasn't sure if he actually felt the same way or if this was just some spontaneous event brought on by a sappy movie and a few beers loosening his inhibitions. I left because I needed time to process it. I still couldn't wrap my head around it yesterday. There were so many conflicting emotions going through me. When I noticed Nick acting weird too, I thought he might have just been feeling guilty and that he may not have meant it. Then in the patrol car he told me it was just a mistake, which is what I feared. How could I put myself out there if I was just going to get rejected?"

Judy let out a heavy sigh. "And then last night. When I watched him walk home. Ben you would have been heartbroken to see him like that. It was as if his whole being had been extinguished. I realized that he and I were both in the same position. In trying to make sure we didn't ruin our friendship by revealing our feelings, we devastated each other. A-and that I…" Judy began sobbing again, "I broke his heart by trying to not break mine!"

Judy curled up into a ball and was all but shrieking into her shoulder. Ben quickly picked her up and pulled her to his.

"Shhh, Judy. You don't need to be so sad. You really don't. I know that Nick feels the same way you do right now." Judy glanced up at Clawhauser, eyes full of tears. Ben smiled at her. "It's been all over his face the last couple of days, just the way yours has. And, if you promise me you can keep this between us, I know for a fact he's been in love with you since the Academy."

Judy raised her head in shock. _Since the Academy? He's been in love with me for that long? Why has he never said anything before now? Did he really think I couldn't or even wouldn't feel the same way?_

Drying her eyes, Judy looked up at the smiling cheetah. "Thanks Ben. I needed that more than you can imagine. First thing after work I'm going to sit down with Nick and-"

Both friends stopped fast as the door burst open. There stood an enraged Chief Bogo, a sheepish looking Nick Wilde, and the entire 1st Precinct in various states of mirth behind them.

Bogo stepped up to the closet and began speaking very slowly but very angrily. "Clawhauser. You know you aren't supposed to leave the desk during your shift. But _if_ and _when_ you do, you also know you're supposed to detach the intercom microphone from. Your. _SHIRT!_ "

Ben looked down in horror to see the active dispatch microphone still around his collar.

The entire staff was now rolling on the floor unable to contain their laughter.

Judy looked from the microphone to Bogo's angry glare to the incapacitated officers and finally to the half-lidded emerald eyes of her smug fox.

"Oh sweet cheese and crackers…"


	6. Revelations and riots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Always fun to see things from a different perspective.
> 
> Disclaimer: Nothing. Nothing. I own nothing.

*10 minutes earlier*

"Wilde. Where's your partner?"

Nick gave a half-hearted shrug as he didn't know exactly where Judy had gone. Bogo glared at the fox before he snorted and began the morning briefing.

"Delgato. Wolford. Fangmeyer. We have reports of an underground fighting ring going on in Tundratown. The ringleaders of this little 'club' are all ex-mafia members. We're not sure yet what the end game is, but illegal betting is far too small a job compared to what they are used to. I want you to get in there by any means necessary. Gambler, fighter, manager, I don't care. Just get it done."

The three mammals made their way up to grab the case file when suddenly a voice came over the loudspeaker.

"-ss bunny. What's got you locked in a closet crying enough tears to float your own canoe?"

All of the officers froze, unsure of what was happening.

"It's nothing Ben. I just felt like I needed to cry. I'm fine now." came the voice of Judy over the intercom. Nick's ears perked up immediately as he stared at the speaker.

"Honey, I know why you're in here. I know what's been killing you the last couple of days, and you do too-"

Bogo's veins began to pulse. "Clawhauser" he growled…

"-so let's not beat around the bush for too long because Bogo will skin me and turn me into a rug once he finds out I left the desk. What's been going on with you and Nick?"

Nick froze as the rest of the bullpen turned towards him. His ears flattened down once more as he became aware that the entire room was now focused on him. His tail dropped a little lower waiting for the inevitable to hit. How he had single-handedly ruined his partnership with Judy. How he ruined a great cop all because he couldn't keep his emotions in check.

"N-Nick?! There's n-nothing going on with me and Nick. He's my partner. He's my friend. My _best_ friend. Nothing could ever be going on between me and N-…"His heart plummeted as he realized that not only was he going to be burned at the stake by his fellow officers, but that she was the one who would be setting the blaze.

"FINE! FINE!" her voice rang out stronger than he had ever heard before. A sound of anger? Frustration? Disgust? Was it all aimed at him, he wondered.

"I love the stupid asshole, alright?" Nick's eyes shot open so fast he was nearly blinded by the lights overhead. "I love the smug prick with his stupid smirk, and those stupid glasses, and his obsessive need to always be right! I haven't been able to stop thinking about him for months and then after he kissed m-"

At that the other officers in the room lost it. There was howling, feet stomping the floor, more than half a dozen of them all jumping onto the stunned fox slapping him on the back. Nick was oblivious to all this as his brain was taking a very long time to process this info. _She…she loves me? Did she honestly just say that she loves me? Why? Why was she so upset before? Did she think I wouldn't return her affections? What about when I kissed her?_

"-en he kissed me, I was so surprised that I couldn't think straight. I knew that I loved him but I wasn't sure if he actually felt the same way or if this was just some spontaneous event brought on by a sappy movie and a few beers loosening his inhibitions. I left because I needed time to process it. I still couldn't wrap my head around it yesterday. There were so many conflicting emotions going through me. When I noticed Nick acting weird too, I thought he might have just been feeling guilty and that he may not have meant it. Then in the patrol car he told me it was just a mistake, which is what I feared. How could I put myself out there if I was just going to get rejected?"

_Oh god. Judy. How could I have put you in that situation? I never meant to hurt you that way._

"And then last night. When I watched him walk home. Ben you would have been heartbroken to see him like that. It was as if his whole being had been extinguished. I realized that he and I were both in the same position. In trying to make sure we didn't get hurt by revealing our feelings, we devastated each others. A-and that I…" the sound of sobbing filled the station "I broke his heart by trying to not break mine!"

_She sounds like I destroyed her. I have to go find her. I have to explain everything. All my feelings, all m-_

"I know for a fact he's been in love with you since the Academy."

Nick's eyes widened before narrowing dangerously thin. "Ben, you son of a bitch!" This set off another round of laughter from the boys in blue. Bogo ripped open the door and stomped down the hall. Hearing voices coming from a closet down the hall, he gripped the door handle hard enough to dent it and yanked open the door. A small gray bunny and a fat cheetah were on the floor, eyes wide in surprise.

Nick walked up behind Bogo and locked eyes with the bunny. Emerald meeting amethyst. Only vaguely aware that Bogo was ripping into Clawhauser, he waited until the rest of the precinct had cleared from the lobby and Clawhauser had been dragged back to the front desk before he cleared his throat. The entire time their eyes had not left the others. Judy looked very guarded, expecting any moment for Nick to start yelling at her until she saw a slow smirk creep onto the fox's face.

"Sup Carrots?"


	7. Consequences and conditions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews guys. This chapter gets a bit more real.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own shit.

Nick stood just outside the door looking down at Judy, her fur still stained by her earlier outburst. His muzzle seemed to have adopted a permanent smirk. His eyes radiated confidence and smugness making her feel like she was no longer in control. As if he could simply will her to do anything after hearing her confessions. And it pissed her right off.

Leaping to her feet , she practically ran at Nick, throwing a punch into his shoulder that would make even McHorn take notice. Watching Nick rub the spot without ever losing that dopey look on his face, Judy calmed down enough to gaze at him more closely. She had always been able to see past his facade. His conman days had trained him too well to ever be fazed, but because of that one slip-up to her last year on the tram, she had always been able to read him like a book. Hidden beneath that smirk, the casual laid back appearance, was a genuine smile and a sense of concern for her.

"So Carrots, Nick said, his voice trembling slightly. "Where do you want to go from here?"

Before Judy could respond, Chief Bogo came up behind Nick. "Where you go from here is my office. 5 minutes."

Judy and Nick exchanged wide-eyed glances before trudging up the stairs.

Sitting in the large chair in front of Bogo's desk, neither officer bothered to speak. Judy fidgeted nervously while Nick simply put his hands behind his head and propped his feet up on the desk. Considering how tall the desk was, this made him look rather awkward, but the statement was what mattered, not the appearance.

The door opened and Bogo entered the office, closing the door firmly behind him. Seeing the fox with his feet propped up, Bogo took the long way around to his seat, shoving Nick's legs off the desk hard enough that he nearly fell out of his chair. The shock on the officer's face lasted less than a second, but it was immensely satisfying.

Bogo sat behind his desk and stared at a report for a few minutes. Judy, who was known to be extremely impatient even among rabbits, started fidgeting wildly, one foot thumping against the other. Nick however was perfectly at ease. Years of conning had taught him that patience is key to to all things in life, whether scamming $10 on the street or wheedling his way out of a problem with his boss.

"Hopps." Judy sat up straight, looking at the chief. "2 weeks suspension. Unpaid."

The look on the rabbit's face was almost heartbreaking. She struggled to say something but couldn't come up with anything besides a strangled gasp.

"Now hold on, Chief. What did sh-"

"Shut it, Wilde! You know exactly why. Excessive force on a suspect. One that is lucky to have survived with minor injuries after our doctors treated him. You know better than this Hopps. I don't care what your state of mind is. We're the police. We swore an oath to protect and bring perps to justice, not dish out our own just because we're having a rough day. If you had hit that tiger any harder he would have been paralyzed _at best_. You're off the force for the next two weeks starting now."

Nick struggled to contain his anger. "Chief this is bullshit!"

"You too, Wilde. 2 weeks unpaid suspension."

This time it was Judy who spoke up. "What?! Why are you suspending Nick? He didn't do anything during that fight."

Bogo held up his hand and read from the document in front of him. " 'I can't sleep, I can't eat, I can't even do my job. Nick even had to falsify records to keep me from being fired yesterday.' Do you know what happens to cops that falsify reports, Wilde?"

Nick's face might as well have been made of stone as he slowly nodded. "Falsifying reports is grounds for dismissal and may include charges being brought against the officer or officers involved."

Bogo snorted. "Said as if reading direct from the textbook. Yeah. Your little stunt could very well cost you your job," He paused before continuing, "However. Due to a rather exemplar beginning to your career, your extraordinary marks at the academy, and my belief that you might turn into a very good officer one day, I'm pulling some strings to get you off with the lowest punishment I can get. 2 weeks starting now. Badges, guns, and cuffs. Now."

Nick lazily pulled out the items and laid them on Bogo's desk. Judy, the very role model of an officer even when being reprimanded, handed hers in with perfect procedure. As they began to leave Bogo called them back.

"Here is where the unorthodox part of my job needs to come into play. There's something between you two, and while secrets never stay buried long here, today they were blatantly revealed to everyone. I want you to use these two weeks to examine how you want to proceed with this. I don't know how serious this is between you two and honestly I don't think you do either."

Bogo sighed before laying all the cards on the table. "There are no regulations about cops dating each other. There are against partners doing so." Nick and Judy looked at each other in alarm. "You two will need to decide if you feel you want to work together as partners, or be together as a couple. If it's the latter, I will be reassigning you to new partners immediately."

Bogo stood and made his way to the door. "You have two weeks to let me know your decision, but when you come back and put those badges on, you better be damn sure of your choice." With that he left the office, leaving a very stunned fox and rabbit in his wake.


	8. Choice is made, at least for one...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I point out, I don't own shit. I barely own this POS computer I'm typing on.

The rabbit and fox stood in silence for several moments. Neither one wanted to be the first to break it, yet both knew that they needed to talk, and fast. Taking a deep breath, Judy went first. "What do you think we should do, Nick? I mean we work so well as partners. We're so efficient and effective. I can't imagine not being in the cruiser with you , always knowing you had my back every day. But at the same time, I don't want to just toss away a chance we may have at being…more, you know? This could be something new for us. To go beyond just being…friends," she mumbled, her ears turning crimson.

"Well Carrots," Nick said with a smirk. "I think the first thing we should do is probably get out of Buffalo Butt's office before he makes it 3 weeks."

Judy's eyes widened as she gulped and sped out the door faster than Nick could process. Chuckling to himself, although with no real humor behind it, he followed and closed the door behind him.

As they trudged down the stairs, they saw many colleagues leaning out office doors or loitering around the breakroom and water cooler. He exchanged glances with Judy and raised his eyebrow. "They're gonna find out eventually. Do you want us to just take the plunge or let them stew in rumors for the next 2 weeks?"

Judy tilted her head, winced, and nodded. "Oh man, I was hoping for rumors," Nick smirked.

"Suspended. 2 weeks." Nick's voice rang out, as all the officers turned to listen. They had been waiting to hear something but were running out of ways to stall until the two newest officers had come out of Bogo's office. "We're still coming back, have no fear. Spots, we'll bring you an extra box to celebrate. Oh c'mon Ben, please stop crying. You're scaring the convicts. Wolfy, baby, don't you worry. I'll be taking good care of our token Masco- OOF!" Nick winced as something sharp hit him in the gut. "Okay then, remember poker is still on for next Thur- Oomph! Damn Carrots! I'm gonna break a rib at this rate."

"I think they get it, Nick."

"Right you are, Fluff. Just trying to make sure they remember us for the next couple weeks."

"Dumb fox."

"But _your_ dumb fox?" replied Nick, with a spark of hope in his voice.

Judy hid her face as the tips of her ears turned pink. " _MY_ dumb fox."

Nick's grin widened until his whole muzzle hurt. _2 weeks? SOOOO worth it._

* * *

"So. We got two weeks off, Carrots. What do you wanna do? Want to see a movie? We could go clubbing I suppose. Oooh! Bowling! I haven't been bowlng in ages. We sho-"

"Nick. While all of that sounds…well dreadful really, we need to go somewhere and talk."

Nick sighed heavily. "I know. I know we do. I'm just not sure where we would start at this point. I do know that I don't want to be doing this out in public. I need someplace quiet so we aren't distracted. Life decisions usually need peace. And quiet. Oh and pizza. Maybe some smoothies."

"Do you want to go to my apartment?" Judy offered, ignoring her partner's rambling. "We should be able to get some peace there."

Nick scoffed before putting his hands over his head to form horns. "Are you kidding? With the Bucky and Pronk show next door? Sure why not. We'll be able to figure out what we want to talk about first by next month."

"Okay, okay. Bad idea. How about your place? It's at least big enough there we can spend some time looking at our options. And later we'll have a normal movie night. I just rented The Lago Movie."

"Isn't that that weird animated rabbit movie? Eh whatever, I'm sure it will be funny. Yeah let's grab a few things, order some pizza-"

"Why Mr. Wilde," purred Judy. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"Am I asking? No. No I'm not-" Judy's face fell. "I'm making it mandatory," Nick announced watching her face light up.

"Sly fox."

"Dumb bunny."

* * *

After a quick dinner of 2 or 3 pizzas and a couple of carrot smoothies, _a pox on the bastard who wrote down 2 carrots instead of blueberry,_ they settled on the sofa to watch the new movie Judy had brought.

Even though they hadn't begun discussing their future yet, an unspoken agreement seemed to have settled on them to at least try to become closer. Judy was curled into Nick's side, head almost in his lap, his arm draped over her pulling her in tighter, both lovingly and protectively.

The movie was really funny, but rather odd. Bunnies made of weird connecting blocks fighting other weird connecting blocks. Nick was sure there was a plot in there somewhere but he was too busy thinking about Judy.

_How did I end up here? I know how I feel about her. There's no doubt in my mind that I would choose being with her like this. But does she feel the same? Can our friendship really evolve that way?_

_Dude. Shut it. You have a sexy bunny in your apartment. On your couch. In your lap. The same bunny you've been obsessing about for a year. Just let yourself be content for one stupid night._

Nick smirked as he looked down at his bunny. At some point during his internal battle she had fallen asleep. She burrowed further into his lap, getting as close to the warmth as she could. Talking could wait until tomorrow. Grinning, he wrapped her in his arms and carried her to the bedroom. Placing her on one side of the bed, he covered her with his blanket before, he shed his shirt and lay down next to her. Running his paw over her cheek he whispered "Goodnight Fluff."

He rolled over to face the wall before voicing the one thing he had never been able to say, to anyone. " _I love you, too._ "


	9. Breakfast. Most dangerous meal of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As before, Disney owns all, I am merely a pawn in their global takeover scheme.

Light filtered in through the partially covered window, landing on what would normally be an unusual sight. A small gray bunny was tucked into the back of a larger, red animal. The bunny's paws curled into the long puffy tail of the fox in front of her, her head resting in the middle of the soft fur. As the sun flashed across the bunny's eyes, she slowly opened them, raising her hand to block out some of the light. Mildly confused, she scanned her surroundings.

_I'm in a bed. Why am I in a bed? Last thing I remember was watching a movie with Ni- wait, is that Nick? Why is he naked?! Am I naked?!_

A quick glance at herself showed that she was still in her clothes from last night and that Nick was still wearing his pants.

 _Okay, okay. So nothing happened last night. I probably just fell asleep on the couch and he moved me in here. But why did he lay down too?_ Judy mentally slapped her head. _Because it's his bed, dumb bunny. And he slept facing away, and all the way at the edge so he wouldn't be pressuring me. And I apparently moved all the way over here to lay against his…naked…back. And cuddling his tail. My god this tail is soft. I could sleep for days in this tail. No, wait. I have to get up. This is not appropriate._

_Well you did admit to loving him, and then found out he's loved you for over a year._

_Yeah, but this is still new. We can't be doing this sort of thing._

_You're just snuggling his tail. And it's a really nice tail at that._

Judy blushed furiously before reluctantly letting go of Nick's tail and sliding out of the bed. Walking down the hall, she entered the bathroom to relieve herself before heading for the kitchen. There was still some pizza left over, but that wasn't gonna do it for breakfast. Reaching into the fridge, she grabbed a carton of eggs, cheese, mushrooms, and onions. _An omelet would be a good way to wake up before we started our talk,_ Judy told herself.

After starting the coffee maker, she spent the next few minutes prepping the eggs and cooking the mushrooms. Adding in some hash browns, the breakfast took about ten minutes and by then the coffee was nice and hot. Sliding the breakfast onto two plates, she waited for Nick to come out of the bedroom, figuring the smell would be enough to draw him out.

After a few minutes and some excessive foot thumping, Judy went back into the bedroom to get him up by force. Nick was still asleep, this time facing the other way. Judy watched his maw flutter with his snoring, his tongue running over his canines every now and again. She was mesmerized by the look of something so ferocious attached to someone she knew to be so gentle. At least with her.

That lasted about a minute fore she reached over and flicked one of his ears. That got a reaction from the sleeping fox as he gave a sharp yelp and sat up straight in bed. Judy stifled a giggle as Nick looked around for the source of his pain.

Narrowing his eyes, Nick let out a small snarl. "Carrots, you better have a damn good reason to wake me up like that."

"Coffee, omelets, and hash browns are on the table," Judy smirked.

"Oh...Well alright then. Lead the way."

Yawning, Nick couldn't help but stare at the little bunny's hips and tail as he walked from the room. He was so focused on it that he walked into the side of the door, jolting him into a more awake state. Judy looked back at the noise and gave him a sly grin. "Like what you see, Slick?" Nick could only nod. "Well good. Cause you won't be seeing it again until we go over what happened last night."

Nick seemed confused for a minute before realizing she was talking about him moving her to his bed. "Carrots, I can explain that. I didn't mean anything by it. I wasn't trying to be too forward or anyt-"

"Nick, relax. I'm not mad. We just need to go over some boundaries until we have a better grasp of-" Judy motioned back and forth between the two of them, "-this."

"Understood, Carrots. So, just to clarify… If you fall asleep on me on the couch, do I stay there too? Or do I leave you on the couch and go to the bed? Or do I carry you to the bed and I take the couch? Or do we do what we did last night?"

Judy blushed before softly saying "Depends on how good a boy you've been."

Nick's jaw dropped. Unfortunately he had been taking a sip of coffee at that time and spilled it all down his front, burning his chest. "OW OW OW OW!" he shrieked as he ran to the sink, spraying his chest down with cold water.

Judy couldn't contain her laughter as she started pounding the table, her giggling become almost hysterical until Nick turned the sink hose on her. Judy jumped up in shock and now it was Nick's turn to laugh. His laughter quickly ground to a halt as he saw the murderous look in Judy's eyes.

"YOU ARE DEAD, NICHOLAS WILDE!"

"Oh shit." Nick took off as fast he could, dodging the chunks of omelet and hash browns Judy was slinging at him. Ducking into the bathroom, he slammed the door shut and locked it. Judy hit the door, but it held.

"I'm sorry, Judy. I'm just gonna hop in the shower. Forgive me?"

"Tell you what, _Slick_. Open the door and I may just _join_ you."

For the second time that morning, Nick's jaw just dropped.

_It's a trick. It's gotta be a trick. After all the talk we just had about boundaries? There's no way she's serious._

_Probably. But are you stupid enough to not take that chance?_

_Hell no._

Opening the door, Judy reached up and hauled him down for a hard, passionate kiss. As Nick started to get caught up in it, he opened his eyes to see a glint of mischief in Judy's as she raised her other hand up and smeared a big handful of eggs all over Nick's muzzle. She licked his nose before whispering into his ear, "I said 'May'," she smirked at she walked back down the hall.

Nick scraped some egg off his chin and gobbled it down. "Sly bunny," he muttered.

"Dumb fox!" Came the reply down the hall.

Nick grinned as he grabbed a towel and closed the door again.


	10. Ante Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still feel my writing could be better so if you like the story or have any suggestions on my writing style, please let me know. Thanks everyone.
> 
> I own nothing. Disney is the beginning. Disney is the end. Disney is all.

Judy sat on the couch with a notebook in front of her, chewing on her pen. It was a nervous habit of hers and, due to the size and strength of her teeth, a rather annoying one as she went through multiple pens daily.

_God, Nick is taking a long time in there. It was only a bit of egg._

_He could be doing something else in there._

_What else would he b-oh. OH._

_Maybe you want to go...lend a paw?_

Judy felt the heat from her face start to travel dangerously lower. Letting out a shrill "Eeep!" she quickly shoved those thought aside. Or at least tried to. An old joke she had heard as a teenager kept making it's way into her head. "I bet you even shower naked. You slut."

 _In this case 'slut' was referring to a tall, red fox with toned muscles all down his chest and ar-_ Judy mentally shook herself away from her current line of thinking. _This is serious. We need to be concentrating on this. It could determine our futur-_

"Hey Carrots."

Judy jumped about a foot off the couch, her notebook flying across the living room. She had been so absorbed in her…thoughts…that she hadn't heard him finish his shower. She turned to scold him for scaring her only to see he was naked. Judy froze, her eyes wide and ears tall. _He's naked. I'm in a room with a naked fox. A hot naked fox. Okay, he still has a towel around his waist. That's good. I guess. Why am I not freaking out about this?_

_You are freaking out about this. You've been staring at his chest and…other…parts for over a minute and haven't said a word._

_I...have?_

_Stop staring at him like a piece of meat. You're making us both uncomfortable._

Judy cleared her throat. "Nick. Did you, um, forget something?"

Nick smirked as he looked down at himself in mock surprise. "Oh no. How did I forget to put on any clothes before coming out here? How em-bare-assing. Hope your innocent eyes weren't irreparably harmed, Fluff."

Judy flushed, but she knew how to play this game too. "Oh I don't mean that. Did you forget to turn on the hot water? I'm hoping _that_ ," she gestured downwards "was just caused by some cold water and isn't simply _all_ of what to expect."

Nick let a wide grin cross his face. _Oh she's good. But there's a reason I never teach her too much._ "Sorry Carrots. What you see is what you get," as he dropped the towel.

Judy's eyes stayed locked onto his face, her ears twitching like mad. _Don't look down. Seriously, do not look down._

_We're starting to look down._

_I KNOW! Stop looking! Stop looking stop looking stopstopstopsto- OH GOD I'M LOOKING DOWN._

Judy let her eyes linger for a few seconds before looking back up at Nick. His face would have to break before his smile could get any wider. "So Fluff. Like what you see?"

Judy slowly, almost against her will, nodded.

"Well good. Cause you won't be seeing it again until we go over what we need to this morning." With that Nick turned and headed to the bedroom to get dressed, leaving Judy to let out a small whimper behind him.

* * *

Fully dressed now, Nick sat next to Judy on the couch. She had retrieved the notebook and now kept it tight to her chest.

"Nick. We really have to focus on this. We have a really difficult decision to make and it would be best if we stopped…teasing…each other for now."

Nick grinned smugly, knowing his last performance had shaken her. _It shook me too, but let's not go there just yet._ "Alright Carrots. Let's figure this out. What have you got?

Judy laid the notebook down so they could read it together.

"Di-…Did you seriously make a Pros & Cons list on our relationship?"

"Oh don't be so melodramatic. I make Pros & Cons lists for what shampoo I'm going to buy."

"Oh good. Well at least I know I rank up there with your shampoo. I hope I at least made the 'conditioner' stage too."

Judy pouted. "C'mon Nick, this is serious." Turning her eyes on him, she slowly batted her lashes.

Nick was screwed. _She's using the eyes. She knows I can't handle the eyes. Those big, beautiful pools of violet…fuck._ "Got it. Serious Wilde, on duty." Nick let her ramble on about the good and the bad about taking the plunge or staying partners. She went over how well they worked together versus how they had realized they felt. Was it a lasting thing or if it was temporary and was it worth the risk to their friendship and partnership to choose. She was making a lot of good points but he had already decided that he did not want things to go back to what they were. He loved being her partner. He loved being her friend. But he was _in love_ with her. The decision would be hers and hers alone. He would follow wherever she wanted to go and simply keep his feelings contained.

Judy noticed Nick staring at her, occasionally nodding to what she was saying, but not seeming to be participating. Judy sighed. "Nick are you even paying attention?"

"Of course I am, Carrots. I've heard every word you've said."

Gesturing to her notebook, she huffed "And?"

Nick leaned in very close to his bunny. Judy began to feel her ears get hot, her cheeks flushing. "I have a better idea on how we can figure things out."

Judy swallowed hard. "Wh-…Umm what would t-that be?"

Nick cupped her cheek in his palm, watching her eyes slowly close at his touch. "Why don't you head to your apartment and grab some things that you'll need. As big a decision as this is, you'll stay here with me for the two weeks we have. Now now," he said, holding up a paw to her objections, "I'm not being too forward and asking you to move in. This is a temporary thing just so we can figure this out better."

Slowly, Judy nodded, her ears low against her back. She leaned into his hand, feeling comforted by the touch, the smell of his paw. Leaning forward, Nick slowly kissed her, keeping the contact light, loving. Withdrawing, Nick smiled at the way Judy continued try to kiss him while her eyes were closed. Realizing he wasn't coming back for another one, she opened her eyes and gazed at him, questionably.

"Now Fluff," Nick smirked. "Let's get your things together and get back here by 5."

"Why? What happens at 5?"

"That's when I take my bunny on our first date."


	11. Teasing temptations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: On this chapter, it's a bit shorter as it's mainly a setup for the next one.
> 
> All reviews are much appreciated. The more feedback, the more I can refine my writing to make it more enjoyable for you guys.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing of these characters and I'm too lame to make up my own.

With how small Judy's apartment was, she didn't even own enough clothes to last the two weeks. So they just put everything into a suitcase and made to wheel it out of there.

"You're not leaving us, are you rabbit?" came a voice through the wall.

Judy sighed. "No Pronk, I'm just taking a vacation for a couple of weeks."

"By 'vacation' do you mean shacking up with that fox?" yelled Bucky.

Judy's jaw dropped. Before she could answer, Nick called out "Yep. That's exactly what's happening. She's all mine for the next two weeks. Might just keep her, t-OW!" Judy elbowed him hard in the gut.

"H-how did you guys hear about that?" she stammered.

"Uh, it's all over the internet, bunny."

"It's _WHAT_!?"

"Yep. Half of Zootopia knew about you guys before dinner last night."

"But who-…" Judy and Nick looked at each other before both growling " _Clawhauser_."

Judy's whole body blushed beet red.

"Shut up, Bucky. You're embarassing her."

"You shut up, I am not!"

"YOU SHUT UP!"

"NO YOU SHUT UP!"

"YOU!"

Nick stared at the walls in amazement. "I never get used to them."

Judy rolled her eyes. "Let's just go before they decide to 'make up'. You think they're loud now…"

Nick pondered that for a minute. "Yeah. Let's get the hell outta here."

Back at the apartment, they decided to take a bit of time to get ready for their date. Nick pulled out a black jacket and a pair of black slacks, setting them on the bed. Grabbing a deep red shirt, he heard a knock on the door. Heading out, he saw Judy had opened the door and greeted a polar bear before accepting a white box before bidding the bear a pleasant goodbye.

"Carrots, why was Kevin here?"

"Oh. I knew I didn't have any nice dresses to wear for our date so I asked Fru Fru go pick out something for me to wear. I guess she was too busy with little Judy to deliver it herself so she sent Kevin. Wasn't that thoughtful?"

"Uhhh, yeah. I suppose so. I didn't know Mr. Big knew where I lived…"

"Are you joking? He knows the combo to your closet safe where you keep your limited edition comics."

"He WHA- wait, how do you know I have comics?"

Judy giggled. "He's not the only one with the combination."

Embarrassed, upset, and a bit proud of her, he retreated to get ready for their date. He buttoned up the shirt before grabbing a tie, paused, then put down the tie and unbuttoned the top two buttons on his shirt. _She's seen the tie thing for a long time. Let's change it up a bit._

Shrugging on his jacket he was jostled from his thoughts by a loud voice in the other room.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!"

Going out to the living room, the fox's eyes widened as he gazed in awe at the sight in front of him. "Wow" was all he could say.

Judy was encased in a tight red dress, barely long enough to cover her thighs and backless down to only a few inches above her bushy tail.

She looked at him with the reddest face and ears he had ever seen on her, including their little escapade from this morning. "Fru must _really_ be pushing for us because this dress is nothing like I would have ever worn."

Nick could only stare at her. His brain had failed to make any coherent thoughts. Judy let a slow smile stretch across her face, part genuinely pleased that he found her so attractive in this dress, part foxy knowing that she could use this against him in oh so many ways. Although the only way she cared about was something that needed to wait until later, at least until they figured out what they truly were. For now, she would use it to have a little fun with the shifty fox.

"Come Nick," she purred. "Our table awaits, does it not?" As she walked out the door she flicked her little cottontail and threw a wink to the stunned fox behind her.

 _Oh I am in_ huge _trouble with this one,_ he thought as he closed the door behind him.


	12. A deal struck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing except my free will, and even that was taken by my wife.

The sound of jangling keys broke the silence of the empty apartment. The door thumped several times before metal hit lock, almost as if the holder of the keys was frantically trying to open the door. After a brief pause, the door burst open to reveal the cause of the problem. A small gray bunny in a disheveled red dress was wrapped around a tall red fox in a similarly ruffled suit. Their lips locked in what seemed to be a contest. Whoever backed down first would be viewed as the loser. The ferocity of the kiss was unmatched by anything the pair had ever experienced before. Finally breaking apart, the pair gasped for air, both flush in the face, collapsing onto the couch. Their eyes unwavering, their respite lasted only a few seconds before they attacked each other again.

Nick felt something stir inside him. An almost primal urge, causing him to growl deep in his throat, his lips pulling back into a snarl. Judy's eyes opened at the sound and her own primal urges told her to flee from her natural predator. Neither of them cared to listen as the fox let his tongue drag across the rabbit's lips. Her lips parted slowly, allowing his tongue to enter her mouth and intertwine with her own. The moaning from both animals increased until they could hear nothing else.

Their paws frantically clawed at each other. Both wanting to undress the other first. Judy deftly unbuttoned Nick's shirt while he slid the straps down her shoulders. Judy moaned as she ran her paws through Nick's fur as he stroked her neck and back. Their minds had been lost to pure lust. Lifting Judy up, he headed for the bedroom, only to have her lock her powerful legs around his waist, their lips never leaving the others.

Reaching the bed, Nick laid her down gently while still passionately embracing her. Judy wasted no time in removing Nick's jacket and shirt. Clenching her fists in his chest fur, she purred loudly, causing Nick to feel the vibrations along her tongue. The act caused him to chuckle but also to realize where he was and what he was doing.

Struggling against the insanely strong legs around his waist, Nick pulled back. "Carrots, we can't do this."

"Oh yes we can," came the throaty reply.

"No, Carrots, we need to wait." Her paws still fumbling with his belt, she seemed to not be in the mood to listen. "Judy!" This made her pause and look up at him. "I know we want this. _God_ how I want this. But it's not the right time."

Sighing heavily, the gray bunny looked into the emerald green eyes of the fox above her. "I know. I know it's not. It's just…well, it's been a long time that I've been thinking about this. And I just thought that, if I didn't make it happen, then it never would."

Nick brought his paw up to brush her cheek. "Don't worry, Fluff. We've got two weeks for us to figure it all out. See if this is really what we want. This is only day one, remember?"

"You mean I have to live through two full weeks of this? The teasing? The distractions? You're going to drive me insane!"

Nick chuckled. "Don't worry, it would be a short trip." He immediately cowered under the glare of the small animal. "Look Carrots, the reality of the situation is we need to decide if our personal lives are more important or our professional ones. I already know my choice, but I know that you are still torn."

Judy opened her mouth to speak but couldn't think of anything to say. She frowned instead. She really did love him, her actions today had proved that. But she was also scared of changing the way things were. She wanted him to be with her, making her feel safe, but she couldn't decide if that meant on or off the job more.

"How about we make a deal."

Her ears perked up at that.

"Let me show you what we could be. We'll spend the time we have as if we had decided to be a couple. We do everything we would do if we were that couple. At the end of the two weeks, if you aren't convinced that we should be that couple, then we can resume our partnership and just keep our feelings under wraps. Deal?" Nick extended his paw.

Judy thought about it for a second before shaking it. "Deal."

Nick grinned before embracing her again and kissing her deeply, running paws over her torso and down her leg.

Judy pushed him back, gasping. "Nick! W-what are you-"

Nick had a smug grin plastered on his face as he looked into her eyes. "I said that we'd do everything we would do as a couple, and I'm pretty sure this would happen." he said as he leaned back down and their lips met passionately. Stroking her leg, he moved his paw to her chest, smiling as she let out a small moan. They fooled around for a bit, each of them testing certain spots on each other to find out what might make them squirm before deciding to turn in for the night. Judy took off her dress before climbing into the bed, expecting Nick to head to the couch, and instead was shocked to see him lay back next to her in his boxers.

"Nick, I don't thi-"

Nick stretched out his arm and ran one of his claws along the back of her ear making her shudder, sending chills down her spine and heating her body in certain areas she was trying to avoid. He leaned over and kissed her. "Goodnight Carrots. I love you," he whispered before turning to face the wall.

"I-…love you too, Nick." came the faint reply.

_Oh sweet cheese and crackers. I won't last a week!_


	13. A decision made, a hustle plotted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the amount of fluff hasn't caused anyone to develop diabetes. It's a bit overly sweet for even me and I'm writing the damn thing.
> 
> Blah blah Disney, blah own nothing.

Seated at one of the fancier restaurants in TundraTown was one of the most unlikely gathering of animals that had been seen in recent memory. A rabbit, a shrew, and an overly large cheetah were seated at one of the booths, the rabbit holding what looked like a baby shrew. A couple of large polar bears were seated at a smaller table in close proximity, keeping a watchful eye on the surrounding area.

"Little Judy has been begging to see her godmother," cried Fru Fru. "Sometimes for weeks on end. I'm glad we were able to get together today."

"Well police work tends to keep me fairly busy," Judy explained as she rocked her goddaughter to sleep as she nibbled on her finger. "I don't like the suspension but at least it gives me some time to be with my friends."

Clawhauser giggled, "And Nick too, right?"

Judy glared at her friend. "I wouldn't be mentioning that much, Ben. Nick and I know it was you that leaked the incident at the precinct online. It was hard enough dealing with this situation by ourselves before we started getting emails and being swarmed in public."

Ben's cast his eyes downward. "I'm really sorry, Judy. I was just so excited to find out two of my best friends were in love that I didn't stop to consider the consequences of what I did."

The bunny's eyes lost their glare as she took in the normally bubbly cheetah's droopy face. *sigh* "It's alright Ben. I'm still upset, and I know Nick definitely is, but I forgive you." This brought back some of the smile usually plastered on Ben's face.

Fru Fru glanced at Judy with a smirk. "So. How has that been going anyway? Any juicy details you care to share? Maybe a few of the more naughty ones,"she grinned with a wink.

Judy choked on her drink. Sputtering, she managed to gasp out "N-no. N-nothing like that. We've been taking it slow. That first night went a bit too fast for him."

"But not for you, am I right? It was the dress wasn't it? I knew it would get his attention in all the right ways. And maybe some of the wrong ones, too." Fru said coyly. Ben was switching his gaze from one female to the other, his attention completely focused on them.

Judy blushed heavily, her ears turning a deep pink.

"I think we have our answer,"giggled the cheetah. "Judy's a bit overly attached to that fox of hers, aren't you?" Seeing her become uncomfortable, Ben quickly changed subjects. "So that was the first night. What about the last few days?"

"Oh those have been wonderful," Judy said, her eyes misting over remembering the last few dates. "First he took me on a 'high school' date. He knew I had never dated anyone in high school, so I never had those experiences from my childhood. He took me to the mall, we window shopped for a while. He bought me a lovely bracelet," raising her paw she showed them the ruby and emerald bracelet. 'To remind you that I love you, every day' he had told her. "Grabbed some lunch at the food court before going to see a movie and cuddled in the back of the theater. When when we got home he kissed me softly and then went and prepared dinner for us."

Fru and Ben's eyes had been watering the whole time she was telling the story. "O M Goodness," Ben choked out through his sobs. "That is one of the sweetest things I have ever heard."

"That fox of yours is a keeper, Judy," whispered Fru. "I tell you, if I wasn't already married I'd be after him myself."

Judy grinned wickedly. "Too bad. He's _mine_."

Ben started clapping happily. "Does that mean you already decided?" Judy nodded. "I knew it! I knew you two were perfect together. What did it? Was it the first date? The high school throwback? Ooooh, was it the bracelet?"

Judy shook her head, giggling at Ben's enthusiasm. "I had already started falling for him the first day, at least physically. Then the date at the mall I totally fell for him emotionally. But it was yesterday morning, when he brought me breakfast in bed, then trailed light kisses along my arms. Nibbling on my ears and neck," Judy shivered at the memory of those feelings, "that I was done for romantically. He's everything I've always wanted in a male. In a mate."

Fru and Ben gasped. "It's _that_ serious?" the cheetah practically bubbling over with excitement.

Judy nodded, a bit shyly now, her ears low on her back. "I can't imagine being without him. I'm completely terrified of what it will be like without him as my partner everyday, but I know I'll get to wake up to him every morning, and go to sleep with him every night, and I know that's really what I want."

"Have you told him yet?" asked Ben, his eyes now boring into Judy's.

Judy shook her head.

"Why not?" said Fru.

Judy smiled evilly. "I'm gonna make him work for it."

Ben and Fru Fru exchanged a look. "Oh he is _such_ a bad influence on you."

* * *

Over in Sahara Square, Nick sat with Finnick at one of the more seedier bars in town. It was one of the few places Finnick would meet up at in public. With his suspension in place and unable to wear his badge, the occupants of the bar didn't give Nick a second glance. Probably best, he thought to himself. _I can see at least a dozen violations going on right now, but that would probably ruin Finnick's mood._

Looking over at the smaller Fennec, Nick couldn't help but be amazed at how many beers the small mammal had tipped back already. Finnick was never a lightweight when it came to booze, but he must have drunk half his body weight by now.

"If this is about police crap, I don't want to talk about it." said Finnick, the voice of the small mammal incredibly deep and gruff. "If it's about bunny cop, I don't wanna talk about that either. I can smell her on you so bad you must have used her as a towel to dry off this morning." Finnick's voice suddenly became lower as he grinned at the larger red. "You didn't, did you? Casue that would be some kinky shit for you and the bunny."

Nick refused to react to the bait, simply responding with "Why can't I want to hang out with a friend?"

"We were never friends, Nick." Finnick tipped back the last of his mug before calling for another. "We were only in business together, which you ditched."

Nick looked a bit taken aback. He was a bit shocked that Finnick didn't consider him a friend after all these years. Certainly he hadn't felt the same way. Seeing Finnick start to look over at him to see why he was so silent, Nick quickly adopted his casual smirk. "Really Fin? You wouldn't be friends with your 'daddy,' little toot-toot?"

Fin grimaced at the mention of the little elephant suit he was stuck in every morning for 2 years. Damn thing was humiliating, although he had to admit that Nick did nice work. It was relatively comfortable. However, just like Judy, Finnick was immune to Nick's facade.

He sighed before replying. "Look Nick. I don't like to be 'friends' with anyone. It's not personal except with me. With friends comes attachments. With attachments comes requirements. How you have to change, how you have to match-up. I keep my 'acquaintances' at arms length. But if I had to expand on that, I would say that you are one of, if not _the_ , closest 'acquaintance' I have."

Nick's smirk got even wider. "I love you too, buddy."

Fin shot him a sideways glance. "That bunny cop messed you up, didn't she?"

"Did she? Yes. Yes she did."


	14. Small actions, big rewards

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is a short chapter preluding to what should be a much..steamier... longer chapter. This was mainly a newly thought up idea to lead into the next chapter and wanted to pen it down.
> 
> Keep sending me thoughts on how you like the story.
> 
> I own this MS word document. Disney owns the rest.

Loud moans were coming from the bedroom in the small apartment, echoing off the walls. Beyond the door's frame lay a small gray bunny who was in absolute heaven. The large red fox sitting behind her was slowly massaging her hind paws, focusing the pressure on the bottoms, soothing away the day's pains from her tender feet.

When Nick had first offered her the foot massage she was weary of any ulterior motives. Knowing her sly fox, he was always up to something. But in the end she decided it would be nice to have her feet rubbed. She was never able to do it properly herself and now she was experiencing a great feeling of relief.

Nick leaned forward, adding more pressure to the center of her paws, eliciting a gratifying purr from his beloved bunny. He smiled, a true genuine smile, as he started a stroking motion up and down her paw.

"Uhnn…" was all Judy could manage to say. He was hitting all the right spots and she felt like putty in his large paws. She could stay like this forever if he wanted her to.

Feeling her completely relaxed, Nick let up on the pressure and started withdrawing from her. "Nooo," Judy mumbled into the pillow. "Don't stop. It feels so good."

Nick smirked. "There's only so many muscles in your feet, Carrots. And I'm afraid all of them have been tended to."

"T-then…" She stammered. Swallowing hard she took the plunge which could very well change the day's tone. "Then move your paws…up… And keep going."

Emerald eyes widened as he considered the offer the fair rabbit was giving him. While it started out as a friendly, yet somewhat romantic gesture, escalating it to allow him to place his paws all over her body was entirely of her own doing. This was a bit more forward in his plans for her, but he could adapt. His eyes settled into his usual half-lidded gaze he liked to reserve for her as he slowly moved up her body. Judy began sighing as his strong grasp began working on her calves.

For several hours Nick worked along every inch of Judy's fit body, neither of them feeling the need to stop. She was enjoying the pleasure from his ministrations as he enjoyed the sensations of her fur beneath his. She was feeling so relaxed that it stopped mattering about her muscles or any stress in her body. Instead she began to just feel pleasure from all of the caresses. She loved the feeling. It was intimate, so personal, so…..soooo gooood… She was about to tell him to stop until he started stroking her ears.

"Ohhhh god," Judy moaned. The feelings intensified with each caress, each stroke, each claw dragging along the edges. Her whole body began to shiver, silently pleading him to keep going. Her ears had always been the most sensitive part of her body and Nick was making good use of that at the moment.

Feeling her begin to shake, Nick slowed his touches on his ears with a concerned look on his face. A paw reached out and grabbed his. "Keep…going… _please_." He smiled and continued working on her sensitive ears causing her to moan heavily.

It all became too much for the small rabbit as she began convulsing on the bed. "Oh god. Oh. Ohhh… ungh… Ohhh Niiiick!" she cried out as her body betrayed her, shaking with an intense orgasm. Nick watched with a small smile, happy that he could cause her to feel this. His smile quickly turned to astonishment as she climbed onto all fours with a look of pure fire in her eyes.

"C-Carrots?"

At that, Judy launched herself at him like a torpedo, knocking him flat on his back, stunned as she began tearing off his clothes. "I know you want to wait, sweetie. And that's fine. But there are other ways we can go about this. And we are going to do…every…single…one. Now. Understand?"

Nick nodded frantically as the tiny gray bunny hauled him back onto the bed before tearing off her own shirt. "Remember. _You_ started this."


	15. Hopes and Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay, here it is. The tamer part of the M rating reason. For those waiting for the more in-depth chapter, that's coming soon.
> 
> Disclaimer: Disney would not give me ownership of Zootopia. They rejected my letters. It's okay though, they sent me a restraining order.

Bringing his paw up to her face, he cupped her cheek, brushing her fur gently. He lost himself in her beautiful amethyst eyes, saving the moment so he could cherish it forever. Slowly he brought her down to capture her lips in a slow and lovingly tender kiss. All of his love he put into that kiss, wanting her to know how deeply he cared for her, how much he loved her. Letting her go, he pulled back and let his eyes open to see hers still closed. He wondered at her beauty as her eyes were slowly revealed. A look of pure happiness flowed from her gaze as it slowly became one of passion. Wrapping her tiny paws around the back of his neck, she hauled him to her for a rather forceful kiss, one that lit their bodies with lust.

Breaking the kiss, he buried his muzzle into her neck, inhaling her scent. She smelled so sweet, so earthy. A being of true nature itself. He could stay like that for eons, but this was not that time. She was very eager. He had started a flame in her and she desperately wanted to make it a blaze. He knew what she wanted. What she craved. And he was going to make sure she got it.

Dragging her higher, he nuzzled her bare chest, being rewarded with excited groans from above. Slowly letting his tongue lick across her fur. Grazing her with his teeth. Every move caused her to shudder slightly at the intimate touches. She had never felt this way with any other male. It was more pleasurable than she had ever experienced and they had only just begun.

Trailing his paw up her thigh, he felt the waistband of the shorts she had worn to his bed. Hooking his claw into the fabric, he slowly slid them down her legs. She arched her back, allowing him to continue sliding them off without having to remove his focus from her chest. Discarding them to the floor, he increased the amount of attention he was giving her chest while slowly bringing his paw up to cup her through her panties.

She let out a strangled gasp as she felt his tender touch caress her. He was the first male to ever touch her so intimately but she knew that no male could ever have matched up to him. His caresses grew stronger, but kept the same slow speed, allowing her to experience his touch to the fullest. As she started to begin getting used to the feelings, he firmly pressed his knuckle into her, causing her to gasp before moaning loudly.

He grinned as he slid her body further up his, trailing feathered kisses down her chest and stomach until he reached her thighs. Nuzzling her, he heard a sharp intake of breath. Pushing his nose into the fabric, he was rewarded with a strong smell of arousal. His bunny was seeking release, a release that only he could give her. Opening his muzzle, he let his teeth graze the sides of her legs before closing on the thin strip of fabric between him and her flesh. He felt an overwhelming desire to tear them from her body, but this was not the right time for such aggressive motions. That time would come later for the two of them. Instead, he mimicked the action from before and slowly dragged them down her toned legs. As she once again arched her back to let them slide further, he situated himself between her legs, waiting for her to lower herself again, unaware of the shift he had made. When her hot skin met his cold nose, she jumped, not expecting the change in sensation. Slyly grinning, she lowered herself back down, more than willing to experience what her mate was offering.

He started slow. Lightly licking the sides of her. Occasionally letting himself graze over her front, eliciting sharp gasps of pleasure. As he licked her folds, he slowly parted them allowing him to lick deeper. Her moaning was becoming louder, more passionate. He raised his paw up and slipped his digits inside her. The small hitch in her breath made him pause before slowly sinking it further. She began to pant, the feelings overwhelming her. He could sense she was getting close. He started slowly moving his paw in and out of her, hearing her heartbeat quicken. As she neared her peak, he withdrew his paw. Before she could protest, he replaced his digits with his tongue, forcing it deep inside of her. At this, she stopped being able to think, only hearing a shriek of pleasure coming from her own throat, wracked in the throes of the most intense orgasm she had ever experienced.

Slowly coming back down, she looked at her mate beneath her, his emerald eyes showing only love, a genuine smile on his muzzle knowing he had pleased her And he certainly had done that, she mused. But now it was her turn.

Crawling back down his body, she kissed him hard, her tongue moving past his sharp teeth to slide along his. She could taste herself on his tongue and it only served to excite her further. But that was not where she wanted to be. Giving her mate a seductive smile, she moved down his body to his briefs. Unlike when he removed her clothes slowly, she wanted this to be fast and full of passion. She tore them off his body, tossing the ruined fabric to the floor. She gazed at his now freed member. She had seen it only a few days ago when he came out of the shower, but this time it was engorged. Ready to join with his mate. She realized how big it actually was and this both excited and scared her.

Swallowing, she focused on the task she set out to do. Placing both paws on it, she slowly began stroking him. Watching his head roll back, she took the time to admire his form. His arms were strong, culminating from his work in the academy. His legs as equally strong, showing highly developed muscles. His chest was broad and his fur smooth. A fine figure of a fox. _And he's all mine,_ she thought. Seeing him enjoying the sensations she was giving him, she picked up the pace, her efforts not going unnoticed. Wanting to please him further, she let her tongue lick his shaft from the base to the tip. He gasped loudly. Looking down at her, he saw the love in her eyes as she desperately tried to make him feel as good as he had done for her. Feeling himself close, he tensed up. She felt this change in him and immediately wrapped her lips around him. The sudden sensation cause him to growl loudly before releasing himself into her mouth.

No words were exchanged as she slid up to meet his lips with hers. Each knew how much the other meant to them, their actions of love merely strengthening the bond they had begun to share.

For several hours they explored each other. Kissing every inch of their bodies, licking every sensitive area they found. When neither had the strength left to continue, they allowed themselves to finally calm. Sated, he embraced her from behind, drawing her close to him. He nuzzled the top of her head, feeling the contented sigh from his beloved bunny.

A voice split the silence that had existed for hours. "Nick?"

"Yes Carrots?"

"I want you to know…I decided this days ago but I need to tell you this now. I want to be your mate. Being my partner is great but it can't compare to being with you. Like this."

Nick sighed happily. "I love you, Fluff."

"I love you too, Nick."

They both closed their eyes after the most glorious night they had ever experienced. Nick was almost asleep when he was jostled by Judy shifting before her voice split the air.

"But if you want this to go to the next step, you better up your game, Slick."

Nick chuckled before kissing the top of her head as they drifted off to sleep.


	16. And on the seventh day…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Alright. The big "M" chapter is here. At least for now. Something more "M" down the road
> 
> C'mon Disney, just give me ownership so I don't have to keep putting disclaimers. K thx bye.

The early morning hours crept upon on the sleeping couple, casting faint rays through the drawn blinds. One of these rays slanted across the closed eyes of a large red fox causing him to withdraw his head from the offending light. Feeling something soft and furry shift against his chest, he looked down to see a small gray bunny tucked into his fur, smiling happily as if she was experiencing a wonderful dream.

_Then last night wasn't a dream._

_Of course it was a dream. But that doesn't mean it didn't happen._

Smiling, Nick started softly stroking his bunny's ears, making her purr in contentment. He thought back to her words last night. _'You'll have to up your game, Slick.'_ Nick's smile became a grin as he began to make plans for what he hoped would be the best day of her life.

Judy felt as if she were on a cloud. She was still in a daze as she began to wake up but her memories were coming back to her in full. How wonderful yesterday had been. The doting in the daylight, the passion during the night. How her whole body had felt pure love, joy, and peace with her fox. He had been so caring and so gentle with her. He never went too far, but yet far enough to bring her so much pleasure that she never knew existed. Just the thought of it began to make her body heat up, her sex to become wet, her need to become strong. Sliding her hand down her body she felt an overwhelming urge to touch herself, to sate the hunger she felt, only to find much coarser fur in her way.

As she opened her eyes she first became aware that her fox was no longer holding her tightly. The second thing she became aware of was where her fox was _now_. Reaching down she slid her paws through the thick fur of her fox's head that was between her thighs. Feeling his paws stroking her legs, she began to move her hips upwards, silently begging him to help her. Looking down, her eyes met his, watching him use his wonderful tongue to play with her. His gaze spoke volumes of love but also mischief as he slowly licked the outsides of her folds, driving her desire higher. Hearing her begin to pant with need, he changed to long, slow licks directly on her sex causing her to moan loudly. Encouraged, he began stimulating her further by sliding his tongue inside her. His nose pressed directly against her clitoris and the sensations of his tongue began to build a fire deep inside her loins. Her hips began bucking as she quickly reached an intense release, letting out a small shriek before collapsing back onto the bed.

Crawling up her limp form, Nick trailed light kisses up her chest before nuzzling her neck. As she came back down from her blissful high, she hauled him to her and kissed him passionately. "You know you just set a really high bar for how I expect to wake up in the morning, don't you?

Slyly grinning, Nick kissed her. "I would always be willing to wake you up in such a fashion, Fluff. But if you want to be doing that often, you'd have to be here often."

"Why Mr. Wilde, are you asking me to move in with you?"

"I would never ask you to move into this apartment," noticing her smile falter he quickly added "It's way too small for such…active…mammals such as we. We'd definitely need a bigger place."

Judy's smile lit up the entire bedroom with the happiness she felt right then. Wrapping her arms around his chest, she pulled him down on top of her for a very long kiss. Feeling his paws moving over her chest she quickly slapped it away. "Nu-uh. If we start that we won't get anything done today and I have a feeling you already have the whole day planned out," as she bounced out of the bed and moved towards the hallway.

Nick smirked. He was always amazed at her ability to not only read his body language but also his mind as well. It was a welcome feeling after not being close to anyone in a very long time. "Okay Carrots. You go take a shower, I'll get breakfast going." He started to head to the kitchen when a small paw grabbed his arm.

"I've got a better idea. How about _we_ go take a shower and then you go make breakfast." With that she turned and headed down the hallway to the bathroom, swaying her hips and twitching her tail. Casting a seductive wink behind her as she entered the room, Nick quickly followed almost like an eager pup. _Well fuck my plan then._

Inside the steamed-up bathroom, two foggy shapes could be seen behind the glass walls of the shower. Moving from one side of the shower to the other, their naked bodies pressed up against the glass, their actions almost desperately longing. Tongues intertwined gave way to hard nuzzling of necks and chests before resuming. Breaking free they began to wash each other only to fall into the same spell as before. Their bodies covered in soap they began grinding upon each other as their kisses became more urgent. Jumping up, Judy wrapped her legs around Nick's waist, unwilling to leave any space between them. Knowing he could not refuse her in his current state, he tried to talk her down. "Carrots….unghhh….We need to stop this. It's not the right time." Judy moved her face to his neck as she bit down into his scruff. Yelping slightly, Nick began to feel, if even possible, more aroused. "Judy, please. We need to stop before we lose ourselves to this. I wanted it to be different. I wanted it to be special for you."

Hearing her name and his words, Judy slowly released her hold on his body before kneeling down in front of him. "I can agree to that. But this is still going to happen." With that she pressed her lips against his now erect shaft. Nick's legs nearly gave out as he slumped back against the glass. Judy massaged his member as she licked all around him. Stroking him, she felt his knot begin to swell, telling her he was nearing his limit. Emboldened, she increased the speed of her paws as she wrapped her lips around him. He growled as the pleasure started to build.

"Oh god! Judy! I'm…cummmmiiing!" His little bunny eagerly took every last drop into her mouth, licking him clean as she stared at him with lust. She desperately wanted to join with him right now, but he still wanted to wait. It went against all of her instincts, including her physical demands, but she would wait. For him. Because he was her fox.

Steadily gaining the feeling in his legs again, Nick stared down lovingly at her. She was always quick to think about his pleasure as he was about hers. When they were finally joined it would be an experience like nothing they could imagine. He grinned sheepishly. "I suppose I better go get that breakfast ready now."

"Okay. I'll take pancakes with raspberry syrup," Judy ordered as she went back to washing her fur.

"Nick paused for a minute before asking, "Are you staying in here?"

"Until my breakfast is ready I am."

_Sly bunny._

"Dumb fox."

That made him pause for a second before glancing over at her to see her smirking at him. "Just guessing," she giggled.

"Sly bunny."

" _My_ fox."

* * *

After breakfast they went for a stroll. A couple miles from the apartment was a beautiful park they would sometimes visit after a long day. Today was the first time they visited it with their paws intertwined. This time, the park seemed even more attractive to Judy. The sounds, the smells, and the sights all felt as if they had been enhanced just for them. For the love they were experiencing. For Judy, it was her first time. She had never done anything with another buck beyond a couple of failed dates and some chaste kisses. But now she was lost in a whirlwind of love and pleasure. It was exciting and scary at the same time. Her heart would beat ever faster when he would glance at her. Her face would blush with every smile cast her way. The only thing that kept her from hiding behind her ears was the knowledge that Nick would guide her through this having been in a relationship like theirs before. What she didn't know is that Nick had never been in a serious relationship before. Like her, this was entirely new territory for him. Both of them were swept up in a dangerous new frontier of the heart, but whatever they faced, each knew that they would do so together.

Eventually Nick led her out of the park, her arms wrapped around his, pressing into his side. There were a few odd glances as they walked along the street back to his apartment but nothing was said. There were even many pleased stares at seeing a couple as much in love as they appeared to be. Neither of the couple saw any of these glances their way as they were much too lost in each other. Once they got back to the apartment, Nick decided to surprise Judy. Leading her to the back of the building, he went to a storage shed marked with his room number. Having her close her eyes, he opened the shed and carefully hauled out one of his prize possessions. Telling her to open them, she gazed at a sleek, black Harley low-rider. "Wow Nick, this is beautiful."

"I know, isn't it? I found it in pieces at a junkyard. Took me nearly two years to rebuild it. I'm not much for cars but this bike always made me feel free. Haven't ridden it in over a year though. Patrol takes too much out of me to want to ride at night. But I figured we could go for a ride today. What do you think, Fluff?"

"Really?!" Judy began hopping up and down in excitement. "I've always wanted to ride one of these. I don't think they even _exist_ in Bunnyburrow."

Nick grinned lazily at her before handing her a helmet. Settling himself into the seat, he patted the rear seat. "Hop on, Carrots." She eagerly jumped onto the seat before settling in.

"Now hold on to me. This may take some getting used to for you." Happy to oblige, Judy leaned forward as she wrapped her arms around his chest, breathing in his scent. As the bike roared to life, she felt a stirring of excitement. Pulling out onto the road, they quickly sped up until they were cruising steadily. The excitement she felt built up until she whooped with laughter. While she loved her cruiser, this made her feel so free. As if nothing could touch her. Nick smiled as he heard her yell in excitement. He was worried she would be afraid but he should have known better. Nothing scares his little bunny.

After a fun ride, he slowed before pulling into a small diner just outside of Savannah Central. Judy was a bit puzzled by the stop but chose not to say anything. As they made their way inside, a female antelope greeted them, asking if they were there for lunch. Assuring her they were indeed, she led them to a booth near the window before leaving them to make their decisions. Perusing the menus, Judy was still a bit bothered by his choice of restaurant.

"Whats the matter, Carrots?"

Looking up, she feigned ignorance. "What do you mean?"

Nick smirked. "I was a con-man, Fluff. You have gotten good at reading me but not so good at fooling me."

*Sigh* "I was just wondering…nah. Forget it."

"You were wondering why this place," Nick said. Judy looked up a little quicker than she meant to. Knowing that another lie would be pointless, she merely nodded. "Well Carrots, you apparently have the memory of an elephant yoga instructor." She giggled at the mention of their first encounter. "This is the first restaurant we ever came to after the Nighthowler case. Right before I went to the academy."

Her eyes started watering. Trying to hide it as the waitress came back, she quickly wiped her eyes. "Yeah I'll have a Caesar salad with a side of carrot sticks." Sentimental fox.

* * *

They spent the rest of the afternoon cruising along the coast, taking in the sights Zootopia had to offer. They spent many days patrolling the streets, but that rarely took them beyond the well-traveled roads. Judy had never seen these places. They filled her with wonder and excitement. That there was even _more_ to the fair city than she knew.

Nearing dark, they made their way back to the apartment, both of them still feeling the rush of the travel. Once inside, a steady silence descended on them. Both of them knew where they were headed, but neither of them were confident enough to make the first move. Taking a deep breath, Nick began moving towards Judy, sliding his jacket off as he went. She mirrored his steps, removing hers as well. Coming together, they softly kissed, both basking in the love of the other. Eventually the soft kiss led to a firmer one. Understanding what was needed, Nick swept Judy up into his arms, careful not to break the kiss. He carried her to the bedroom and laid her down before crawling over her.

They slowly removed each others shirts, careful not to seem overly eager. Both tried to portray a calm face but inside their longing was increasing. Judy was the first to go over the edge as she quickly stripped Nick of his belt before hastily unbuttoning his pants. Nick felt the urgency in her movements so he decided to go along with her speed. She already had his pants off before he could even begin on hers, but after unbuttoning hers he found a very pleasant surprise. She was commando. _Now I know what some of that extra rumbling sound was on the bike today,_ he chuckled.

Their clothes finally shed, Nick paused to gaze down at the naked form of his beautiful bunny. Judy meanwhile was happily admiring the look of her handsome fox leaning over her.

"Judy. I need to tell you something before we begin." She looked at him expectantly. "Foxes…well…we don't do things simple when it comes to this. I've never been with a woman before." He held up a paw as she started to speak. "Foxes mate for life. Once we find that someone, only then do we actually mate. It seals our bond to our chosen. I want you to understand that. I need you to make sure of your decision if this is what you want. Because after this, you're stuck with me for good."

Judy's eyes had been watering during his talk. Her tears began to fall as she looked lovingly upon him. "Nick. There was never a mammal before you, and there will never been one after. I am yours forever and all-time. Just take me."

With that, Nick pressed his lips to hers. What started as chaste quickly became passionate which then turned into pure lust. Cupping her sex, he rubbed his paw over the outside, feeling her immediately begin to moisten. At the same time, she reached down and started stroking his shaft, feeling him elongating in her paw. Their touches had been soft, loving, but quickly began to speed up. Both of them knew exactly what they wanted and they were going to get it now.

Sliding himself down, he lined his throbbing member at her entrance. Looking into her eyes, seeking permission, she nodded. A indescribable feeling swept over her body as she felt him enter her. His thrusts were slow, letting her body adjust to the size of him. He was far larger than what any rabbit could normally handle. After letting her stretch, he pushed forward only to feel a tight membrane in the way. Her hymen was still intact. He hadn't planned on this because he didn't want to hurt her. She seemed to understand his hesitance and pulled him closer. The action pushed him through it and he slipped deeper inside her. A flash of pain swept over her face before it was replaced by the pleasure he was giving her. Thrusting into her, he began a steady rhythm, sliding in to the base of his knot and then pulling nearly out. Her mind was blank, having lost all her thoughts to the sheer bliss of his thrusting. "Harder," she whispered. As his thrusts became harder she began to see spots. It was overwhelming but she had to have more. "Faster," she demanded. He was now slamming into her repeatedly. Long, full strokes, stabbing into her no longer virgin places.

"Judy…I'm getting…close…I'm going to cum." His face was red from the exertion he was putting into his thrusts. His arms quivering with the battle of self control he was losing.

"Not…yet…I need to…feel…all of you inside me," Judy managed to say as her body was being pummeled again and again.

Nick was unsure. "It might hurt you. Are you sure that's what you want?"

Powerful legs wrapped around his back. She looked at him with fire in her eyes. "FUCK ME!" With her yell she tightened her legs, slamming him into her, knot and all. She threw her head back and screamed as she lost herself to the blindness of her pleasure.

The experience was not lost on Nick as he too began to spasm uncontrollably. "Oh Judy! I love you!" he said with a shriek.

Both of them collapsed onto the bed, unable to move. They wrapped each other in a tight embrace as their other senses came back to them. "I never thought it would be like that," murmured Nick into her shoulder.

"Neither…did I," Judy gasped. "But I wouldn't trade it for the world." She looked down to see the knot still inside her, connecting the two. "So is this like mandatory cuddle time?"

Nick chuckled. "Yeah, something like that."

She sighed. "I could get used to that."

After about 15 minutes the knot finally thinned so they could decouple. Judy rolled over so he could embrace her from behind and pull her into him. It was her favorite new way to sleep. Never had she felt this content. This happy. There wasn't a single thing in the world that could bother her right now. As Nick started kissing his way down her arms, she became even more relaxed.

Out of nowhere her phone started ringing. Weakly, she stretched out her hand to get it, drained from the earlier activities. Nick didn't stop his attentions to her neck. _Bogo can go fuck himself,_ he thought. _We still have a week and I intend to use it._

"Hi mom. Hi dad."

Nick's eyes opened to see two very shocked rabbits on his mate's phone screen who were staring at a fox nibbling on their daughter's neck.

…. _..Shit._


	17. Q&A

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I hope you enjoyed the last chapter. We'll be going back to fluff for this one.
> 
> Keep the feedback coming. You guys are awesome.
> 
> I own nothing but Disney took my computer anyway so I had to submit this via morse code.

_"Hi mom. Hi dad."_

Nick completely froze at the the sight of Judy's parents on her phone. The shocked expressions slowly changed showing a different emotion for each rabbit. Bonnie's cheeks and tips of her ears became slightly pink, embarrassed that she had unknowingly put her daughter in this position. She was tempted to hang up the phone right there and then but her husband was the one holding it. Stu meanwhile was growing redder in the face until it was almost purple.

Nick shook off his paralysis under the hateful eye of his mate's father and began to edge himself out of the screen's view. Judy raised a paw over her shoulder and lightly grabbed Nick's muzzle. She pulled him back to her shoulder, signaling she wanted him to continue his biting and nuzzling. Unable to deny her anything, he continued focusing on his task making her giggle at the feeling of her mate's lips on her fur. Reaching down, she hauled up his arm until it was around her waist.

During this whole demonstration of a lover's embrace, the Hopps' reactions were becoming more and more pronounced. Bonnie was now beet red, unable to fully focus on the screen. Stu on the other hand looked as if he were about to have a heart attack. He raised his finger and opened his mouth to shout at them before Judy cut him off.

"Dad. I'm going to tell you this once. You will not scream. You will not yell. You will not insult me or Nick. If one speciest thing comes out of your mouth this call will be ended and you will have to wait until _I_ contact you before we will speak again. I know neither of us want that so please, Dad. Behave."

Stu looked shocked at her words which, while spoken calmly, were laced with the bitter determination he knew was not only unique to his daughter, but also made her what she was. His immediate thought was to throw caution to the wind and begin screaming at this fox who dared to lay a hand on his daughter before he realized that was exactly the mindset he needed to not be in if he was going to be able to talk to Judy. He wasn't going to deny his feelings about this but he was going to put a lid on it. For now. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he nodded.

Judy let out a smile, still worn out from tonight's earlier events. "Here's how it's going to work. I will answer three yes or no questions. Three questions. Yes or no. That's it. They can be about anything but I imagine we all know what the topic is going to be." Looking back at Nick he winked as he slightly opened his maw to scratch a long fang across her neck, eliciting a small shudder of pleasure through her body.

"Are you safe?!" Stu's frantic voice came over the speaker.

Nick chuckled at the absurdity of the question but he understood a parent's protectiveness. Judy rolled her eyes before responding. "Yes dad. I am never as safe as when I am with Nick. He loves me too much to ever let anything happen to me."

Bonnie moved forward to ask a question before Stu cut her off. "Has he hurt you?!"

Judy reached her paw behind Nick's head and scratched behind one of his ears, feeling a shiver from him as he continued tending to her neck. "Mmmm, definitely not."

Stu spun around, his paws grabbing at his ears in frustration. Bonnie grabbed the phone and looked at her daughter. Seeing her look so protected, so loved, she began to grow to like this fox that seemed to have great affection for her daughter. But she needed to be sure. "Are you happy, dear?"

Judy smiled at her mom. Unlike her dad's questions which had been overly protective but unnecessary, her mom's was unexpected but overwhelmingly appreciated. Closing her eyes she let out a contented sigh. She opened them, looking at her mom through half-lidded eyes. "More than I could have ever imagined, mom."

The older rabbit's eyes grew misty as she felt her daughter's emotions through her words. Never had she seen her like this. Not at her graduation, not after solving her first case, never. She had come to worry that she would never find someone for her, but she honestly wasn't surprised. She had been seeing the way she spoke about Nick through their chats for months. Even if Judy wasn't aware of it, Bonnie had slowly began to understand the feelings her daughter had for her partner. Always grinning for no reason whenever his name came up. Always trying to insert him into their conversations just so she had an excuse to talk about him.

"I understand completely, dear. I knew this was coming for a long time." Stu spun around looking shocked at his wife's words. "Oh don't look so surprised, Stu. If you had paid attention these last few months you'd have seen it too." Stu's jaw just flapped in the wind as he was unable to say anything.

"Thank you mom. Now, if you'll excuse us, we are rather tired and need to get some sleep. We're taking the train to Bunnyburrow tomorrow so we'll see you then." Nick's head jerked upright at that.

"Okay hun. Goodnight. Say goodnight Stu. Stu!" Still looking gruff, Stu wished his daughter a goodnight.

"Goodnight guys." Hanging up the phone she turned to see Nick staring at her, an expression of bewilderment across his muzzle. "What? You got your week, now I get mine."

Nick opened his mouth to object before feeling her tail wiggle against his hips. Shivering with desire he decided to hold back, knowing they each needed their sleep. Pulling her close and snuggling up against her, he sighed happily. As he started to drift off, he felt a paw pat the top of his head.

"Good fox."


	18. Hesitations and humiliations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I couldn't stop writing this story. Not sure if that's a good thing or an obsessive thing.
> 
> (Insert something about needing to feed off criticism and approval)
> 
> Disclaimer: disclaimed.

Slightly groggy, Nick opened his eyes to see the sun already up, the daylight stinging his sensitive eyes. _I seriously need to get those windows tinted._ He had a feeling of dread tingling up his spine but he couldn't understand why. The last several days had been the happiest of his life, there should be no reason to think something was wrong. Then he saw his phone on the bedside table. _Phone. Call. Parents called. Judy's parents. Bunnyburrow. Oh shit._

Looking around frantically, Nick noticed Judy was already gone. Struggling to untangle himself from the sheets, he finally managed to get out of bed, barely not tripping over his own feet. Making his way out the door he took sight of his mate Judy standing at the kitchen counter. Dressed in a tank top and gym shorts, she was making sandwiches for the trip. Stealthily shuffling up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, nuzzling her neck. Leaning her head back, she tilted her head allowing him better access to her fur. She could feel his naked body pressed up against hers. Her heart began to quicken and could feel herself becoming wet, but she knew she had to restrain herself or they would be at this all day and miss the train.

"Don't think I didn't hear you comin', Slick."

"Well then, why didn't you try to avoid me?" Nick joked.

Judy turned into his embrace. "Who says I wanted to?" Standing on her toes she gave him a deep kiss. She pulled away and patted him on the butt. "Now go take a shower. We have to leave in about 20 minutes."

"Want to join me?" he smirked.

Reaching down, Judy rubbed his naked front, giggling at the way his tongue lolled out. "Play your cards right this trip, Slick and we'll talk about it."

Before he headed to the shower he paused in front of her. "Carrots, I need to ask you something."

She cocked her head, puzzled but understanding. "What is it, Nick?"

"Well," he started, "Now that we're, you know, mates? There's something I need to do, and it's more instinctual than anything, but I really wanted to ask you if I could do it first."

Judy nodded. "You want to mark me."

Nick was taken aback. "You know about that? I didn't know bunnies knew anything about marking."

Judy started laughing while Nick looked confused. Rather than answering immediately, Judy pulled his head down to her level and raised her head, putting her chin on top of his head, rubbing up and down. She then moved to his neck and repeated the same motion on each side. "There Slick. Now everyone knows that you're mine."

Nick chuckled. "I'm not sure if I've just been educated or hustled." Tipping her head to the side, he rubbed his paws and neck against hers, making sure to get both sides heavily. "There. Now every bunny back home knows you're a taken mammal." He leaned down to kiss his giggling bunny before heading off to take a shower.

It was a good thing she didn't join him as they barely made the train before it departed. Nick wouldn't have minded catching the next one in a few hours if it meant having some more intimacy time with Judy, but he also knew she'd be right pissed off so it was better to err on the side of caution. Stowing their bags, Judy grabbed his paw and led him up to the observation deck. He hadn't been on this part of the train before so he found it interesting seeing all the different parts of the city sprawled out below him. Judy found it as amazing as when she first came to Zootopia. She would never get used to the sights even if she did drive through them almost daily.

The train ride took just under two hours to get to Bunnyburrow so Nick and Judy spent a lot of time talking. They talked about work and what would eventually happen when they got back next week. They joked around about who they would end up partners with. Judy asked how his mom was doing and he told her about her new promotion at work. Meaningless chit-chat to an unassuming party but very important to each other. They shared everything even before they had become a couple and now was no different, surprisingly. Maybe they had always been a couple, never realizing it.

One thing Judy did know, is that all the talking helped to relax Nick as they got closer to her hometown. She could sense his apprehension about coming all the way out here where he might feel surrounded by a county made up almost entirely of bunnies. Not to mention how her father had been acting on the phone. _I swear if he takes out that fox taser I will grab it and shove it up his ass. No one is messing with_ my _fox._

"Nick," Judy reached out and grasped his paw in hers. "I know you're worried about coming here but I want you to know a few things that I think will help you feel better." Nick nodded, his ears perked forward ready to hear any advice she may have. "First off, let's deal with the most important one. Me. I will not abandon you. I will not leave you now nor ever. Nothing that anyone can say will change that, okay?" Nick nodded. "Now, on to the other matter. My dad. He's stubborn, annoyingly so. He's also dead set in the old days. It took a long time for him to even consider working with Gideon. But we have an ally. My mom supports us, Nick. And here's a little Hopps family secret…The women run the show."

Nick mulled on that for a little while. The first part is all that mattered to him. As long as he had Judy, not much else mattered. But he also didn't want to separate her from her family so he was equally as pleased to find out that the family matriarch who was supportive of them was really the one in charge.

"Bunnyburrow station in 2 minutes."

Judy stood, grabbing her bag. "This is us, Slick."

Nick grabbed his bag and followed her to the exit.

"Mom! Dad!" Nick saw Judy sprint to her parents. She hurriedly waved him over before she hugged them. Bouncing back to Nick she wrapped herself around his arm. "And this is my mate, Nick!"

Unsure of how he would be received, Nick cautiously walked up to Bonnie and extended his paw. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Hopps."

She shook it warmly before giving it a pat. "Oh please, call me Bonnie. After all it seems we are family now."

Grinning, Nick turned to Stu feeling a bit more optimistic. Stu reached out to take his paw before producing a taser he immediately lunged at Nick with. Yelping in fright, he tripped over the bags, sprawling onto the ground.

"DAD NO!"

"STU!"

BZZZZT!

The sounds of screaming could be heard across the entire station. Nick clambered to his feet unsure of what just happened. Had he been tased? Where was Stu? He barely had time to think before his little gray bunny had wrapped her arms around his neck and hauled him down asking if he was alright. He nodded and stroked her ears letting her know he was ok. And then his eyes found Stu.

He was face down on the platform, slightly twitching. Which was understandable, since there was a pink taser handle struck right through the bottom of his denim overalls. Bonnie stood over him, shaking her head and thumping her foot at her husband's idiocy.

Nick dear?" Bonnie called out. "Can you put him in the back of the truck? I need to get dinner started and you two should get some rest after your long trip." Nick and Judy looked at each other before shrugging. Judy grabbed the bags while Nick threw her unconscious father into the bed of the truck.

_This certainly was an…interesting way to meet the family._


	19. Mad Matriarch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote 19 chapters in 11 days. Either I was inspired or I have a serious problem.
> 
> Yeah yeah, I don't own anything Disney. Stop sending me harassment letters.

15 minutes later they pulled up to a quaint one-story house. It was rather simplistic with it's country charm. There were a few rocking chairs as well as a swinging bench on an old wrap-around porch with a thatched roof. A few bunnies, ranging from young kit to mid-teens were sprawled out on the front yard, a few more on the porch. They appeared to be waiting for their parents to come home since as soon as the truck rounded the corner they sprang to their feet and ran to it, nearly knocking Bonnie over as her kids swarmed over her. Judy got out of the truck next and the swarm moved to envelop her too. When Nick got out the kids became still, unsure where the new fox came from.

Nick froze up, a smile half formed on his face realizing the kids were worried, possibly even afraid of him. He shuffled his feet and looked over at Judy. She gave him a small smile and prodded him forward, wanting him to introduce himself to her siblings. Before he got too far, he felt a small tug on his pants. He looked down to see a kit probably no older than 5. "Well hello there little one. What can I do for you?"

She looked up at him with a sad look on her face. "Mister fox, did you hurt my daddy?" She pointed to a still prone Stu in the back of the truck. Nick's friendly smile flickered and vanished.

Bonnie rushed over. "No Sarah, he didn't. Daddy was being a bit…unwelcome to our guest and sort of ended up…asleep for a little while." Sarah smiled at that and grabbed the fox's paw tightly, leading him to the front door.

"Asleep, huh?" started one of Judy's brothers. "Is that due to him having a fox taser shoved up his a-"

"Jonathan!" Bonnie cut him off. "You and your brothers just...just take your father inside. Put him in the den for now." Grumbling they all came off the porch and hefted the old buck off the truck and into the house.

"I'm gonna go see how Nick is doing. He's probably been buried by bunnies by now." Judy hugged her mother again before skipping through the door.

Bonnie shook her head. Serves the old codger right, she mused. Promises to behave himself and keep an open mind and the first thing he does is attack him with a taser. A COP no less! He's going to have some explaining to do and I hope I'm the one who sees him first or else Judy might make him eat the damn thing next time.

Judy walked down the halls of the burrow pausing at different rooms to see where her fox might have been dragged off to. Making her was towards the center of the first floor she saw a good number of her siblings gathered outside the living room, watching something that was unfolding inside. Peering over them she saw Nick softly stomping around, his arms raised overhead and lightly snarling.

"Oh no! The big bad fox monster is going to eat us!" "What do we do?!" "GET HIM!"

At that, 30 or 40 small bunnies leapt at the snarling fox knocking him over as they pinned him down and started tickling his ribs. Shaking with laughter, the red fox managed to gasp out "I surrender! I surrender!" A lot of groans came from the group of kits at that.

"No fair. He lasted longer against the last group."

"I'm sorry kiddos, the big bad fox monster can only take so much." Catching Judy leaning against the doorway with a smile on her face, he winked at her. "Besides, your big sister has already beaten me up too much. My bunny defenses are too weak."

With that, a lot of the bunnies turned and scowled at Judy, her smile turning into a look of shock. "GET HER!" They screamed as they began chasing her through the house, making Nick chuckle.

Bonnie sat in the den crocheting the 250 winter scarves she needed to get done in the next few months when Stu finally let out a groan. Not bothering to stop her work, Bonnie tossed him a bottle of aspirin and a bottle of water. Grimacing, Stu swallowed them to take the edge off his headache. "Wh-…What happened?"

"Before or after you tried to electrocute our daughter's mate?" Bonnie spit out, a touch of venom in her voice.

Stu winced at the obvious anger his wife was projecting. "Did that bastard hit me? Why am I in so much pain?"

Bonnie scoffed. "Don't remember, huh?" Stu shook his head. "Well here's a quick rundown. You pulled a taser on a cop, that is our daughter's mate, who is also a cop, one who has taken on rhinos. Long story short, she disarmed you and shoved that taser up your ass. Literally. Muttered something about 'keeping a promise' to herself."

Stu's eyes widened. "Judy did what?!" he screamed.

Bonnie's eyes flashed with pure anger. "Don't you dare take that tone. I. Am. Mortified. Here you told me you could keep it civil. Keep an open mind. Try to keep your relationship with your daughter intact, and the first thing you do is try to assault him! You should be ashamed of yourself, because I know I am certainly ashamed of you." She stood up, tossed her partially made scarf on the floor, and stormed out. In the door way, she turned back to Stu. "As for your 'big nasty fox', that gentle giant has been playing with all of our kids for several hours. And I mean all of them. They adore him so you best be prepared to make a few enemies if you try that shit again." She breathed to calm herself down. "You'll find your pillow and sheets in the barn. You won't be anywhere near our bed tonight." With that she left leaving a distraught Stu wallowing in his despair.


	20. Curiosity and Agony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: While this is primarily a romance story, there still will be some angst chapters, some hurt/comfort stuff coming in and out.
> 
> Well I've been banned from Disney theme parks now. Streaking through their HQ screaming to give me ownership of Zootopia is apparently frowned upon.

Judy sat on her bed in her childhood home gazing unfocused on the walls around her. All of the faded ZPD fliers and newspaper clippings of heroic officers. It was a shrine to all of her dreams as a child. It seemed a lifetime ago that she was headed to Zootopia to be the first rabbit officer when it was barely more than a year. _Time flies when you're having fun_ , she smirked. _Or in love._ Now there was a question she had been asking herself. Ever since Ben had slipped up that Nick had loved her for the past year she had been wondering how long had she been in love with _him_? Was it the last few months that they had been together each day? Or was it longer than that? Had she been in love with him that whole time and never realized it? Reflections unfortunately would have to wait as her door burst open to reveal three of her sisters practically falling over themselves in the door frame.

"JUDY!" She was crushed as the three sisters jumped on top of her, squeezing her with giant hugs that threatened to break ribs. _Why didn't I pack my tactical vest?_

"Hey guys. How have you been? Alice, I love your hair! Veronica, did you seriously dye your fur again? Mary you still working on that science deg-" she began before getting cut off.

"Yeah yeah. All that is interesting to catch up on," Mary said, her big brown eyes twinkling. "But that can wait. Who is that _hot_ fox you came home with and why are we just learning about him now?"

Judy started blushing but felt a sharp twinge of jealousy when her sister called her mate 'hot'. She knew he would never step out on her but it wasn't a feeling she could control. She would just have to work on it.

"That's Nick, my mate."

The three girls sat in stunned silence before Veronica whispered, "Oh my god, it's true." Judy waited tensely, worried they might act like their father had and start attacking her over it. Before she could think of something to say they all started asking questions a mile a minute.

"When did happen?"

"Are you really _mates_ now?"

"Does he have a brother? He's soooo dreamy."

"Have you two fucked yet?"

"Ooh yeah, how does that work? He's so much… _bigger_ than you are." *giggle*

Judy was beside herself in merriment. She had forgotten how much fun they used to have as kids, especially into their late teens as her sisters leaped ahead of her in the more intimate parts of life. She would hang onto their every word dreaming of one day finding a male of her own. Now she was the center of attention with a captivated audience all wanting to know about the dirtier parts of her life. "Alright alright. Where do you want to start?"

"The sex!" Alice practically yelled.

"Yeah, is it mind blowing?" whispered Mary.

"Is he totally hung?" Veronica winked at her.

Judy grinned before settling down on the bed facing her sisters. "Well we've only had sex the one time last night, but we've been doing other things the past few days. He's so gentle with me. He knows how to use his digits in just the right way to torment me endlessly. And my god is he talented with that muzzle of his." She looked at the flushed faces of her sisters as she had begun feeling the same way they appeared to be. "As for his size, well, I can't compare based on personal experience, but you know that health class vid we had to watch?" The other bunnies nodded. "He's at least three or four times bigger than that." At that her sister Mary fainted. Alice started fanning herself, feeling overheated. Veronica meanwhile leaned in closer.

"And is it true?" She brought her voice down low, excited but scared of the next answer. "Do canines have that, you know, _thing_ down there?"

Judy grinned, knowing what her sister meant. "You mean a knot?" Veronica nodded as Alice leaned in and Mary roused herself. "Oh yeah he does." She winked at them. "And when I forced that thing inside me, I swear I died. I lost all feeling in my entire body except for the one place I cared about right then. The pleasure was like white hot lightning traveling everywhere. And then, when you get locked to it, well let's just say he might be done but that thing doesn't stop messing with you. I swear I came three more times during our 'mandatory cuddle time' from that knot." Her sister's all squealed before wanting to know about all the romantic parts of their relationship. Judy went on to describe the dates they had gone on, how he was the perfect gentleman even when she had pushed him to be more dirty.

"I'm so jumping Tom when I get home and fucking his brains out," declared Veronica.

On the other side of the door, Bonnie was listening to Judy's tale to her sisters. She had come by to ask if she wanted to help her cook up some pies for dessert but had stopped when she heard their excited whispers. She wasn't at all interested in foxes or even other males. She loved Stu even when he was acting like an idiot. But she was still a rabbit and rabbit's had an innate curiosity when it came to sex. As she listened while her daughter regaled her sisters with the details of their sexual exploits her eyes got wider with each descriptive act. _Well_ , she thought. _At least I'll never have to worry about_ that _aspect of their relationship_ , before wandering off, secretly wishing Stu had not been an ass that day.

* * *

After talking with her sisters for a couple hours, Judy was feeling hot and bothered. _Very_ hot and bothered. Finally finding Nick covered in bunny kits in the living room, she hauled him to their room.

"Cute room, Carrots. You really wanted to be a cop that whole time huh?" He looked at all the posters. Turning to face her again he was greeted by the sight of a very beautiful bunny in some very tasteful lingerie laying on the bed.

"Hey big, bad predator," she purred as she slid the panties down her legs. "Why not come _devour_ your 'meek prey'."

The fox's clothes were on the floor before she could even blink. Feeling his weight on her, she looked up into his eyes. She smiled as he slid himself down further and further until her hands were grasping the back of head as he mercilessly attacked her. _Oh god that tongue._

* * *

Stu walked out to the barn, his head and his heart fighting with each other. What he had done was unforgivable and he didn't feel he deserved any forgiveness for it. _There's so much more to it than they know. But I can't tell them. I can't._

Seeing the pillow and blankets his wife had laid out, he noticed his sleeping bag was also put next to them. A grim smile formed on his lips. Even when he was a complete ass she still loved him, but why he never could understand.

Coming out of the barn, he turned to look at the house seeing his children running everywhere, wishing he could go join them and play for a while. Instead he let out a small sigh and turned in the direction of the fields and started walking. He meandered through them for about 5 miles before making a sharp left along a worn-down dirt road. The path went through thick woods, not allowing any moonlight in for him to see, but it didn't matter. He knew this road. Every pothole, every frost heave, every dip and turn. He took his time, not really caring how long it took to get to his destination especially seeing as he didn't want to go there in the first place.

Coming up to a particular grove of trees, he ducked right, leaving the path as he headed deeper into the woods. Stepping over the fallen trees, the rotted logs, keeping himself out of the swamp holes, he made his way to what appeared to be an overgrown hill. On the other side however was a door concealed by some hanging brush. Pushing it open, Stu once again found himself in the abandoned burrow he called home more than 30 years ago. Not bothering with a light, he walked down the empty halls, imagining the sounds of his siblings laughing as they ran by him. His mother and father sitting on the couch reading the newspaper, talking about their day. It was all so vivid in his mind, especially tonight, when old memories, memories he never wished to be reminded of, were surfacing.

Stopping at a door worn with age, he traced the faint outline of an 'S' scratched into the wood. Pushing it open, he slowly stepped into the room, heading for the rusted bed in the corner. Curling himself into a ball, he wept. _I want to tell them but I can't. I can't._

_You're going to lose your daughter if you don't._

_I'll lose her if I do! I couldn't stand to see the shame in their eyes like it was in my parents'._

_You don't know it will be like that. The world is different now. Bunnyburrow is different._ You _are different. You owe it to yourself and them. And you definitely owe Nick. Nick isn't_ him _. You need to stop blaming all foxes for the actions of one._

Stu sighed deeply, his cheeks still stained from his tears. _I will. Tomorrow. It's time I ended this personal hell._


	21. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I now own Zootopia! On DVD/Blu-Ray. Suck it, Disney!

Bonnie was worried. No, not just worried. _Afraid_. After waking up that morning she had decided to go check on Stu before making the kids towards the barn she debated whether to let him back in the house for that night, eventually deciding that if he could behave himself and sincerely apologize to Nick, Judy, and herself then he wouldn't be stuck in the hay for another night. Entering through the sliding doors, she immediately saw that the blankets and pillow she had left him were untouched, the sleeping back undisturbed. Her first thought was that maybe he had gone to a motel for the night but she had seen his wallet on the counter and the truck was still in the yard. _Maybe he just went for a walk and stayed at a friend's house. I'm sure that's it. He'll be back to do his normal chores by the time the kids are up._ Bonnie wrung her hands, hoping she was right.

But hours later, after the kids had eaten and the older ones had gone to school, Stu still hadn't returned. Judy and Nick entered the kitchen to see Bonnie pacing the floor, her eyes wide and whispering to herself frantically. Her eyes full of concern, her daughter asked what was wrong.

Bonnie steadied her voice. "Your father never came home last night. I don't know where he went, he's just gone! He didn't take his wallet, his phone, or his keys. I don't know what to do! We've been married 26 years and he's never done anything like this!" Bonnie's voice cracked as a few tears ran down her cheeks.

The two mates exchanged nervous glances before Nick spoke. "Bonnie, I may not be a wolf, but my nose should be good enough to track him, at least for a ways." Bonnie's head jerked upward before nodding frantically. "Okay. Bonnie? Judy? Let's go find us a Stu."

Heading out to the barn, Nick was pleased to find a very strong scent trail from Stu. His overalls had absorbed a decent amount of his scent during his normal days of work that he could follow it easily. He headed off through the fields, weaving occasionally, Bonnie and Judy raised their eyebrows. This wasn't normal behavior for Stu. He usually had a direct purpose. If he went somewhere he did so in the shortest way possible. After several miles, they reached the end of the fields where Nick paused and started circling the area. The wind was stronger here being on an open road but after a few seconds he caught the scent heading towards a small beaten path in the woods off the main road. Before they could head down, the two rabbits' ears began twitching, hearing a familiar sound about to round the bend. Nick paused as Stu came into view at the end of the path.

Raising his head, Stu was visibly surprised to see his wife, daughter, and his daughters mate staring at him. He was puzzled how they found him before something clicked in his head. "Scent tracking, huh?" he said gruffly. Nick nodded slowly, unsure of if he should explain or not. Stu sighed and walked up to them. Holding up his hand as Bonnie opened her mouth to yell at him, he squared his shoulders. "Bonnie, I know what you're going to say. I'm sorry I left without telling you. It's a deeply personal matter that I shouldn't have let interfere with our life but it did. I promise to explain it later when I can but for now, Nick? I want you to walk with me."

The shock on their faces was apparent. _He had a bad night, walks away from his family, scaring them out of their minds, and he wants to talk to me? Out of everyone?_ Nick was so caught off guard that he couldn't even begin to establish his mask to hide his surprise. Judy and Bonnie both looked at Nick, not sure what he was going to say or do.

Stu noticed how Nick had froze and sighed again. "Nick, I promise you I will not try to hurt you. This is not a trick, it's something I need to do. I need to clear the air and I feel you deserve an explanation. Please. I give you my word."

Nick scrutinized the older rabbit in front of him. He saw dismay, a deep sense of sadness and humiliation, and a very small amount of fear, but no deception. Whatever this was, he truly meant it. He nodded, noticing Stu's face relax slightly.

Judy made to follow but Stu shook his head. "I need to do this with Nick alone. I'll explain at some point but right now, it can only be Nick." She didn't look convinced but Nick laid his paw on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Fluff. I'll be fine. It's just a father/daughter's mate talk I'm sure." He leaned down and gave her a kiss while Stu turned his head away. "Why don't you head back with your mom? This shouldn't take too long and then we can go to the lake for a swim, okay?"

Judy smiled softly and squeezed his paw. "I'll hold you to that, Slick."

Nick smiled back before turning to Stu. "Alright pops, lead the way."

* * *

Leading Nick down the same trail he had used the night before, they shortly found themselves outside the burrow. Nick's confusion warped his muzzle, unsure of what was going on. "Hey uh, Stu? What is this place?"

Stu paused outside the doorway, his head hung down to his chest. Barely above a whisper, he muttered "This _was_ my parent's house. My family's house…My house." With that, he entered the burrow. Nick's eyebrows raised but followed Stu through the door.

The first thing he noticed was that it was designed much the same way his current house was. A very long table sat next to the door, kitchen was on the left instead of the right but was furnished the same. A huge collection of dust and cobwebs hung throughout the room, marking that nobody had been here for a very long time. Stu kept walking and Nick followed. Empty hallway after empty hallway as they passed faded wallpaper, peeled paint, and rotted doors. Nick's sense of unease grew as they went deeper into the ground. Eventually they found themselves in a larger room where some old furniture sat. Gesturing Nick towards one of the armchairs, he himself made his way to the darkened fireplace, spending a few minutes getting it started. With light and warmth filling the room, Stu took the chair across from Nick, staring into the fire.

After a few minutes, Nick shifted uncomfortable in the chair, the creak from the springs jogging Stu out of his thoughts. "Right, right. Nick. First off, I really am very sorry for the way I acted. It's inexcusable and unforgivable. What I'm about to tell you is only known to two people. Myself and one of my brothers. I swore 30 years ago that I would never tell this to anyone, but then again I never expected to be put in this position." He sighed heavily, looking down at his feet. "This is the story of my childhood friend, Caleb." He looked up and stared right into Nick's eyes. "The fox."


	22. Recollections and regrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disney, contact me when you want me to write Zootopia 2. You know you want to. I'll get you in touch with my agent. *mental note, get agent*

***40 years prior***

Stuart finally slipped from his parent's watch after being stuck in front of them for the better part of _forever_. He was going to see the fair how _he_ wanted to, not his overprotective mom and dad. Every year it was always the same. The family would head to the fairgrounds for the annual Carrot Day festival and he would be watched constantly. Stuart was from a smaller family in Bunnyburrow, a rarity around there. Stuart only had 97 siblings because of a problem his mom had developed that made her unable to have more. It was something that always upset her whenever the talk of baby bunnies would come up. Because of that, they had become much more protective of the last litter they had had, which Stuart, to his chagrin, was a part of. All twelve of the last brood were monitored at almost all times, especially when outside. But taking the opportunity of one of his brothers tripping, he managed to slink away unseen.

 _Finally! I get to do what I want for once. If I can get lucky, maybe the entire day!_ Stuart's face was becoming numb at how long he had the giant grin across it. All he had to do now, was pick a place to start. It didn't take too long as the smell of the fair food vendors reached him. Dashing from stall to stall, he soon walked away with an apple pie, a few cones of cotton candy, and even a nice toffee apple. He had never had this much junk food in his life but that wasn't going to stop him.

Unfortunately what did stop him was the 3rd ride on the spinning teacups. All of that junk food, which was delicious going down, did not want to stay down. Clutching his stomach in his paws, he swayed a little, trying to reach the trash can before emptying his stomach into it. Someone started thumping his back, seeing he was coking on some of the apple from before. After he was done sputtering, he turned to thank his helper. It was a little red fox. Although he could tell they were about the same age, the red fox was slightly taller, which was to be expected. "Thanks buddy. I wasn't doing so good on my own. What's your name?"

The fox looked a bit shocked that the little rabbit hadn't screamed or yelled or ran away from him. Normally that was always the response he would get. After all, it's what foxes were _supposed_ to get, according to rabbits around there. Maybe this rabbit would be different, he thought. Grinning, he joined the conversation. "Name's Caleb. I haven't seen you here before. New to the area-…I'm sorry what was your name?"

"Oh. Stuart. Stuart Hopps. And no, we've lived here all my life. I think longer but I'm only 8 so I can't tell ya."

"8 huh? Well I just turned 9 yesterday!" The fox puffed out his chest with pride. "But I won't hold it against ya, Stu."

 _Stu? Huh. That sounds way better than Stuart._ "Well it's only a couple weeks away, although I wont really be celebrating."

Caleb was a bit confused at this. "Why not? I always get a birthday party."

"It's just how bunnies are," Stu said. "We have kits in big groups so birthdays are just basically 'Happy birth month, here's your new hand-me-downs.' Gets kinda depressing after 8 years, you know?"

The young fox scoffed. "Tell me about it. I only have an older brother but all I get are hand-me-downs. And he's twice my size so everything is loose and I trip all the time." Stu and Caleb both chuckled. So, uh, how come I've never seen you here before?"

Stu sighed. "I'm part of the group that's overprotected by my parents. Have to be watched at all times. It's so boring."

Well you're free now!" Caleb cried. "I have an idea. Let's see if we can do _everything_ they have in one day!"

"I'm in!"

***6 years later***

"You totally have a crush on her."

"I do not!"

"C'mon Caleb. We both know you've been looking at Cynthia all week. I bet she's the reason you have that flower still in your backpack," Stu teased.

"Shut up, she'll hear you," whispered Caleb.

Stu rolled his eyes. "Caleb, I can barely hear us and I'm a rabbit. There's no way a vixen is gonna hear us across the room. It's Study Hall anyways. Nobody cares who's talking about what."

Caleb let out a long sigh, wishing he could get up the courage to go talk to her. _You know what? Why not? I'm best friends with a rabbit, it's not like I haven't done insane things before. This is it, I'm making my move._ He stood up and walked confidently towards the pretty vixen. She hadn't noticed him yet as he swaggered past the other desks. _I'm doing it! I'm doing it! This is I- nope. Can't do it can't do it can't do it._ Grimacing he walked past her and out the door. _Ugh, I hate myself. I'm such a coward._

Stu slapped his paw to his face. He knew his friend was going to choke. 15 years old and he could barely let out a squeak around the opposite sex. He cracked his knuckles. _Time to play matchmaker._ Grabbing the flower he moved quietly through the room, heading to the fox in the front row. Taking the seat beside her, he noticed a few odd looks from his classmates before they buried their heads back in their books.

Leaning over he tapped Cynthia on the shoulder. She looked up, startled. "Cyn, we have a problem."

"What is it, Stu?"

"He still can't take the plunge." Stu whispered.

"Ugh!" Cynthia threw her hands up. "How much more do I need to do? I've flirted. I've wandered around him enough to know he has to smell my scent. Do I need to just go grab him by the balls to get his attention?"

Stu snickered. "Cyn, you have his attention. Look," he placed the flower on the desk. "He's had this in his bag all week, he's just too damn shy to do anything."

Cynthia looked at the Bellflower on her desk. _He knows my favorite flower but he can't read the damn signs? I guess I'll have to be the alpha for both of us._ She winked at Stu who grinned before heading back to his desk. As Caleb came around the corner and passed Cynthia's desk, she casually stuck her foot out and tripped him, letting him fall right on top of her. He stared at her in horror, mumbling apology after apology. Cynthia grinned before placing her paw against his mouth. "I knew it was gonna take a bit for you to fall for me Caleb, but c'mon," as she kissed him.

Stunned, Caleb could only glance around wildly until he saw the flower on her desk. Casting a glance at Stu, he watched as the rabbit smiled like an idiot and gave him two thumbs up. Making a mental note to beat the rabbit later, he kissed Cynthia back.

***2 years later***

A very drunk fox sat in a worn armchair. He fur was matted and there were tear stains down his cheeks, his eyes bloodshot from crying. Luckily his parents were out of town or they'd have beaten him senseless for getting into his dad's alcohol. A knock on the door brought the fox out of his stupor. "Come…innnn," he slurred.

A pair of rabbit ears appeared at the door before a full figure walked in. The smell of booze made the sensitive nose on the rabbit's face twitch violently. "Dude, it reeks in here." Stu opened a couple windows, futilely trying to air out the room. "I got your call, what happened?"

Caleb shuddered before raising the bottle to his lips. "Cynthia."

Stu grimaced. "Did she break up with you?"

Shaking his head a little too fast, the fox felt the room spin. "No, she didn't dump me. I caught her cheating on me. They were…mating."

Stu was speechless. He knew foxes only mate once and then that's it for life. _After 2 years Cynthia randomly decided to go with another guy?_ "Did she tell you why?"

"Doesn't matter." Caleb tossed the empty bottle across the room. "It's done now so whatever. She wants him and I'm just some piece of shit second place loser." He grabbed another bottle of bourbon and struggled with the top.

Stu snatched it out of his hands and sat in the armchair next to him. Popping the top off, Stu looked at the bottle before throwing it back and taking a good swig.

"What are you doing?"

Stu wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "Well I can't very well let my best friend drink away his pain alone, now can I?"

***1 year later***

Stu sat in silence in the living room. It was late and most of the family had gone to bed. His older brother Bobby was still up, filling out application forms for the local college. Every so often Bobby would look up and see Stu just sitting there looking depressed.

Clearing his throat, Bobby tried to get his brother's attention. "So Stu, how come you ain't cruisin' the town tonight? Aren't you normally out past midnight with a lady friend or just hiking in the woods?"

Stu shrugged. "Just not feeling it."

Bobby frowned. "It's been a long time you've been 'just not feeling it.' What's happening? Where's Caleb? Usually he's involved with your prison break schemes isn't he?"

Stu's face became stoic. "I haven't seen Caleb the last few months."

This was shocking news to Bobby. The two had been inseparable since they met at the fair nearly a decade ago. The longest they had ever been apart was when Caleb went to visit relatives in Zootopia for a week. For them to not have talked in months was unheard of. "Well, I'm sure he'll come around soon. I'm gonna head to bed. You coming?"

Stu sighed. "Yeah, I probab-" both rabbits ears perked up at a sound coming from the front entrance. Scratching sounds accompanied broken glass before the creak of the rusty hinges betrayed the door opening.

The two brothers moved cautiously towards the hallway, trying to be silent so as not to give away their presence. Approaching the kitchen, they saw a shadowed figure inside a room off the right.

"Dad's office," Bobby mouthed to Stu. Stu nodded as they crept up behind the large animal. Stu got ready to pounce when Bobby flipped on the light. Stu froze as he saw the would-be intruder.

"C-Caleb?" He managed to choke out.

The shocked fox stood up straight, squinting his eyes at the bright light above him. The first thing Stu noticed is that Caleb had gotten thin. Very thin. As if he had stopped eating for a long time. He saw patches of fur torn out and what was left was all matted. His clothes, which he took great care In maintaining, were torn and dirty. All of this mattered greatly to Stu, until he saw the bag Caleb was holding. The bag that he had emptied the family's safe contents into.

"You…You're _robbing_ us?" Stu was stunned. "Why Caleb? You know we would try to help you with whatever you needed! You didn't need to become a thief to get it." Stu was rewarded for his words with a look of hatred from the young fox.

Bobby ran at him but Caleb threw out a right hook that knocked him down and he wasn't getting up. Caleb moved for the doorway, but Stu leapt in front of him. Caleb let out a snarl, showing teeth and his claws. "Move."

Stu shook his head. "You know I can't do that."

Growling, Caleb raised his right paw high and slashed it down on Stu's side, his sharp claws easily tearing through his t-shirt. Stu felt something warm trickling down his side and saw two very long and deep cuts in his side. The blood was pouring freely and he started feeling light-headed.

Grabbing the bag again, Caleb started to leave when felt a paw grab his leg.

"Caleb. That's all my family has. We'll be homeless." Stu pleaded with him. "Could you really do that to your friend?"

Looking down at the injured bunny, Caleb's mouth twitched before he sneered. "Why would I ever want to be friends with some stupid _rabbit_?"

***Present***

"That was the last time I ever saw him. I had passed out shortly after due to blood loss. My brother managed to get me in the truck and take me to the hospital. I was in there for two days." Stu lifted his shirt showing Nick the two very long scars lining his side. "We told my parents it was an accident with one of the harvesters. They believed it, or at least they said they did. The robbery hit us hard. We eventually had to leave the burrow. The family split up going to different relatives houses. My mother was never the same after that." Stu grimaced before continuing. "I found out later Caleb had joined a gang and this was his initiation. I don't know why he felt that making his best friend homeless was the first thought he had, but it happened and there was no use dwelling on it. A few years later, before I met Bonnie, I tried to find him again. Ask him what had happened between us." Stu paused. "I found out he was killed in a drive-by from a rival gang a few days before his 21st birthday."

Stu looked over to see Nick sitting in shocked silence. He sighed heavily. "Look Nick. I don't have anything against you. I really don't. I see that you make my daughter happy and I'm incredibly grateful to you for that. It's just…hard…for me to not see that old 'friend' reflected back at me whenever I see a fox."

Nick swallowed hard. "And then, with Gideon?"

"Yeah," Stu nodded. "Having my little girl mauled by a fox the same way I was made it even harder to deal with. And then that same little girl tells us she's _mated_ to one? It's just so overwhelming." He stood up. "I'm trying Nick. It's just gonna take some time. But I want you to know, I'm gonna double down on it. Do whatever I can to make this work. For her. And for you." Stu held out his paw to Nick, who took it. Putting out the fire, they headed back to the house.

* * *

Sneaking into the bedroom, Nick quickly shed his clothes before crawling next to his bunny. She murmured his name softly before snuggling up against him. Nick wrapped his arms around her and hauled in her in tightly. _I won't let anyone hurt you like that, Judy_. he swore. _Ever._

* * *

Stu walked in to his bedroom to see Bonnie up waiting for him.

"That took a long time. Are you willing to tell me what's been going on?"

Stu looked at his wife for a long time. "Yeah. I think it's time I did."


	23. Base desires

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, this is just pure explicit content. Definitely "M"
> 
> Disclaimer: Disney, I stole Walt's head from cryo. Trade for ownership of Zootopia maybe?

"Nick...don't...stop...fucking...meeee!" Judy gritted her teeth as Nick continued to slide himself into her over and over from behind, picking up speed with each thrust. Reaching forward, he grabbed the base of her ears and pulled them back, using them to gain more powerful strokes as he slammed her back onto him. Judy hissed as she felt the pain of her ears being so abused before the wave of pleasure tumbled over her. She had already had several orgasms during their violent tryst and she felt another growing quickly. _He never...seems to...stop. Hell, I ain't compla-Ohhh god!_ She shuddered strongly as she had another one. Looking back over her shoulder she saw Nick smirk as he kept pounding into her. "I don't know how you're not done with me yet, but you better keep going until you exhaust your sex-crazed bunny," she threatened.

Without saying a word, Nick let go of one of her ears and moved to her chest, brushing through her fur, hearing a low moan. He slipped his other paw down underneath her, right above where their hips joined, rubbing just above her entrance. Her hips began bucking uncontrollably as she started cumming again. Before her body even had a chance to cool down she felt another, even stronger feeling surge over her. _Oh god, this one is going to be huuuge._ Looking back at him, she could see he was getting close too. "Knot me, Nick."

His eyes opened wide. "Bu-it's your parents barn."

"Don't care. Need this," she wiggled her hips against him.

"But we'll be stuck he-"

"KNOT ME GODDAMMIT!"

That sent Nick over the edge as he began thrusting harder and faster. Pulling back one last time he slammed himself into her, pushing the knot past her outer folds and deep into her. The end result being a soundless scream coming from both mammals as they shook violently from their collective orgasm. Too weak to stay on her hands and knees any longer, Judy collapsed to the 2nd story floor. Nick barely was able to roll her onto her side with him before collapsing as well. Nick nuzzled her as he kissed the back of her neck. Rubbing his cheeks over her neck, he marked her again. The urge was always the strongest after mating, almost as if to dare the world to claim she wasn't his. To her credit, Judy never said a word about it. In fact she rather enjoyed it. The possessiveness, the caring, how he wanted her to know he loved her so completely. She was the epitome of the perfect police officer. Strong. Steadfast. Unbreakable. Until that damned fox came into her life and made her into a love-struck teenager. And she _loved_ it.

She really hadn't planned on having sex with him that morning. The urge was always there but her rational thoughts usually curb it in favor of doing what needed to be done. When she had come out to the barn to get him for brunch, she found him working. Lifting hay bales while wearing jeans and an open flannel shirt, he looked like the stereotypical farmer, but the model kind. The kind you see in movies that usually ends up having sex with the beautiful main character. And she knew about those movies because she would watch them with her sisters all the time growing up, each of them having the same sort of fantasy. And now here was her mate in the exact pose those movies had always shown, making her wet immediately. Overcome with lust she had sprinted across the barn and leapt at him, knocking him over as she desperately kissed him. His shock quickly turned into seduction as he stroked her back and ears, making her moan into his mouth. Their tongues twisting around each other, she stood up, dragging him with her to keep the contact.

After quickly tearing off his clothes, she shed her own. She pulled back with a glint in her eye. "Catch the bunny, you big, bad fox." With that she had sprinted across the barn. Nick hesitating for only a second before he dashed after her. After a few seconds of her realizing he had the advantage in the cluttered barn, she had dived for the ladder. Nick was anticipating this though and he caught her as they fell onto the 2nd story with Nick on top of her. Judy had been a little stunned by their position, but had quickly adopted a smug look. Raising her hips and flicking her tail at him, she let him mount her from behind leading to a very different kind of _hard_ work.

Judy sighed as she thought back on the experience. _I never thought I'd be one of_ those _girls, but wow. That was fantastic. We need to remember to use that position more._ She leaned back into his arms and shuddered as the knot pulsated inside of her, causing a moan to escape her lips as she had a small orgasm. _This mandatory cuddle time really is something special._ At that moment, her ears picked up a faint sound heading their way. "Nick, we need to be quiet. Someone's coming." As soon as she said that, the knot pulsed again causing another moan to come out. Nick clamped his paw over her mouth as she rode it out.

Bonnie paused as she came into the barn looking for her daughter. She knew that something was off but she couldn't tell what. Something about the smell? The hay was usually the only thing in here but today it was different. Looking around she saw the sleeve of a shirt around the side of the bales and she moved to investigate. Seeing a lot more clothes behind it, both rabbit size and larger, she suddenly stopped. She had a pretty good idea what was happening but her ears started twitching on their own, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Hearing some suppressed moans on the upper floor, she quickly hid her smirk. "So your father and I wanted to talk to you before you left tomorrow. Should we meet in the kitchen in, say, 15 minutes? Will that be enough time?"

Judy froze at the sound of her mom's voice, knowing they had been caught. She looked back at Nick who pointed at their joined hips and shook his head. "Probably more like 30, mom."

Bonnie put her paw over her smile. "30 it is, then. Your clothes are right where you left them, although I think Nick's pants are a bit torn." As soon as she was out of the barn, Bonnie started giggling like mad.

Nick smirked. "I tried to warn you, Carrots."

Judy smacked him on the arm. "You hush. It's all your fault anyw-Ohhhh god!" she moaned as Nick thrust his knot in deeper causing her to shake as she came again.

* * *

They had been a little off on their timing as they made their way into the house about 45 minutes later. Nick hadn't been satisfied that he had done his job properly and insisted they not leave until he was able to finish that job. Judy was adamant they not keep her parents waiting until she felt his marvelous tongue press up against her before shoving it inside her, driving her to her knees. She had a dreamy look over her face as she walked into the kitchen. Nick was doing his best to smooth the fur around his muzzle as it was currently smeared in, well, Carrots.

Bonnie was trying to hide her smirk, knowing full well what had been going on. Based on Stu's blank expression, they gathered she had not let him in on their secret rendezvous, and after the last couple of days it was probably for the best.

"Judith. Nick. Please sit down." They both did, sharing nervous looks. Stu sighed. "Don't worry. I'm not upset. This is just difficult for me to say." Stu took a deep breath before releasing it. He turned to Nick. "I trust you told her what we talked about?" Nick nodded. "Well, at least this makes it somewhat easier to explain." Turning back to his daughter , he continued. "Judith. Jude. You know I love you. You're my big Trier. The little girl who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted out of life. And I tried to destroy that and for that I can never say sorry enough. Nick," Nick looked away from Judy to Stu. "I let my past experiences cloud my judgment. I became a speciest without even realizing it until my own daughter had to literally shock me back into reality. I can never hope to make up for what I did to you. I'm truly sorry."

Stu looked over to Bonnie for reassurance. She nodded at him with a sad smile on her face. "I wanted you both to hear that from me, because it truly pains me to see what I have done to my family, and yes Nick, that includes you too. And while it's not be needed or maybe even wanted, I want you both to know you have my blessing."

The whole time Stu was speaking, his daughter's eyes had been welling up with tears. And at the moment he had stated that Nick was part of the family she had ran to him and threw his arms around his neck, sobbing. "Of course we want it, dad. We are still a family. Just a bit bigger now."

Nick walked around and slowly offered Stu his paw, letting him decide if he was ready for it. Stu looked at it for a few seconds before shaking his head. Nick winced as his ears drooped down before Stu held up his paw to him. "It may take me a while to get used to it, but I certainly can hug my son-in-law." And with that Stu grabbed Nick around the midsection and hugged him tightly. Nick cautiously returned the hug, so that Stu would feel safer setting the terms of their contact.

Without a dry eye left in the kitchen, Bonnie cleared her throat, signaling Stu to end the hug. "We wanted to give you a nice sendoff so without further ado..." Stu put two fingers to his lips and whistled. A stampede of a few hundred bunnies came storming up the halls into the kitchen, covered in glitter and glue and party hats. The couple was showered in farewell cards from all of the kits. Bonnie ducked into a side room and reemerged with 20 siblings supporting a giant cake that barely fit on the table.

Judy looked over to see Nick's face devoid of any emotion. He looked as if he was in shock. She leaned in, "Don't worry. You get used to it."

Nick swallowed hard before muttering, "If you say so."


	24. Embrace and embarrassment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: So a company filed a restraining order against me that I'm not allowed to mention their name so we'll just make one up and call it "Disney." I also have to say I own nothing from a certain cartoon that we'll call "Toozopia." All I asked for was some coffee but apparently "pants" are required in the building. Fascists.
> 
> (Again, more "M". I don't even remember writing this much "M")

"Ohh thank god, we're finally home!" shouted the little gray bunny as Nick and her walked through the front door of Nick's apartment.

Nick raised his eyebrow. "Home? What happened to your dinky little apartment with your weird neighbors? Didn't you tell them it was just a vacation?"

Judy thought about it for a second. "Well, we're mates now, and technically according to the old laws that makes us married. What's yours is mine and what's mine is still mine. So Nick, do you want to move in here with _me_?"

"Hold on, Carrots. I don't think that's how the law wo-" he broke off as he felt her cup him through his jeans. " _Ahem_. What I meant to say is I would _love_ to move in with you." Grinning widely, she rubbed him a little more forcefully before backing away and carrying the suitcases into their bedroom. _I am stuck forever in the best hustle imaginable. Thank god for tax evasion._

Judy came out of the bedroom partially dressed. In the middle of changing her shirt, Nick couldn't help himself from eyeing her nude chest. "Nick, I was thinking about what you said." Nick gave a start, casting his eyes downward feeling guilty. "Oh don't start that, Nick. I'm your mate. You can ogle me whenever you want. _Except at work._ No, what I was thinking of was the other apartment. I need to head over there today and cancel my lease."

Nick nodded. "That's probably a good idea. Wouldn't do to have two rent payments each month. But what about Bucky and Pronk? How long will _that_ goodbye take?"

Judy frowned. "Probably an hour. They're gonna keep crying and then yelling at each other to stop crying. It'll be a nightmare. Wanna come?"

Nick laughed and held up his paws. "No thanks. I'm going nowhere near that SNAFU."

Judy chuckled as she pulled on her pants. "So what will you be doing while I'm gone?"

"I thought I'd call my mom and see if she wanted to get together tomorrow. It's our last day of freedom so it might be nice to introduce you as my mate this time. And I'll whip us up some dinner, too."

"That sounds wonderful. How is she doing by the way? I haven't seen her since your graduation."

"Oh she's doing great. Her promotion I told you about? She's now the branch manager of Savannah Central Savings," Nick beamed.

Judy clapped excitedly. "That's wonderful! The one right near downtown? I'll have to remember to call her next time I have a free lunch. She's only 5 minutes from the precinct." She grabbed her bag and kissed Nick goodbye as she headed for the door. "I'll see you in a couple hours. Make something nice." As she shut the door, Nick grabbed his phone and made a call.

"Hi mom... I'm doing great... Oh that's wonderful. Listen, do you have time for lunch tomorrow? I got something I want to talk to you about."

* * *

Spooning some baby carrots and green beans onto Judy's plate, Nick asked how the apartment deal went.

"Oh it was horrible," Judy added salad to her plate as she took it from Nick. "They cried and begged and pleaded with me to stay for over an hour. At one point one of the other neighbors offered to pay my rent for a year if I could just get them to shut up." Nick snorted. "Oh yeah, laugh it up, fuzzball. They blamed you for everything. And the sex came up more than once as a reason I was leaving." She glared at him, but her twinkling eyes betrayed her. Joining him in his laughing, she shook her head. "It was rough but they eventually calmed down."

"Well, while you were ruining the lives of two _sensitive_ mammals, I booked a lunch date for us with my mom." Nick took a bite out of a tomato, frowning a bit. _This didn't ripen properly._ "We're meeting at the diner outside the bank."

"Okay, that should be fun. You know, this salad is nice but the tomatoes don't feel like they ripened properly."

"I was just thinking that."

"Wow. 4 days on a farm and you are already a Hopps," Judy teased.

"Uh-uh! Nick Wilde-Hopps, to you Missy," as they both chuckled.

After dinner, the couple curled up on the couch to watch a movie. After arguing for a minute, they decided to watch a romantic comedy. Well, Judy decided, Nick just was made to go along with it. After a while, the mood of the movie started to affect _their_ mood. Unconsciously moving closer together, their paws would stray slowly and randomly along each other. A touch here, a caress there, eventually turning into kneading and grasping. Before long they were locked in an embrace, their lips pressed together, their tongues dancing across their mouths. The movie was all but forgotten as the bunny and fox ran their paws over each other. Breaking for a moment, their eyes shined with a shared thought. _Bedroom._

Carrying her the way he would a bride, Nick walked her into their room and placed her on the bed. Slowly undoing his shirt, he slipped it off, letting it fall to the floor. Judy ran her gaze over his bare chest. _I'll never get over how handsome he is. So strong, yet so protective and gentle._ She sucked in her breath as she felt his paws undoing her shirt, his calm exterior betrayed by his digits trembling ever so slightly. She smiled warmly at him. He looked so sweet and adorable while trying to act suave and collected. She put her paws on his as she finished undoing her shirt, letting him slide it off her. Moving his paw with hers, she helped him to undo her pants. She slid them and her panties down her legs as he worked on his. Both fully unclothed, they returned to their embrace, exploring each other fully.

Nick nibbled her neck, working his paw down her chest, massaging her skin, brushing through her fur. As he came closer to her sex, she started wriggling, trying to force his way down faster. He licked her shoulder as he finally cupped her with his paw. As she arched her back, he allowed himself to slip two digits past her fold. She gasped loudly, lost to her own desires as she felt him flex them inside of her. Drawing in a ragged breath, Judy hoarsely whispered, "Bite me, Nick."

For a second he was taken aback, but quickly regaining his composure he opened his jaws and moved them around her neck. Feeling her begin to pulse over his paw, he looked up at her. He saw a touch of fear, a shred of doubt, but an overwhelming longing and desire. Slowly closing his jaws, he felt her teeth beneath her skin. "Like before," she croaked. "At the museum." Finally understanding where this was coming from, he slowly pressed his teeth down, not breaking the skin but most definitely allowing her to feel the slight pain his sharp canines would cause. She shuddered as she experienced a strong orgasm, gushing over his paw. His throaty chuckle vibrated along her neck, knocking her from her daze. Feeling slightly embarrassed she apologized to her mate. "I'm sorry Nick. I can't believe I asked you to do that."

He looked into her violet eyes, slowly stroking her fur. "Carrots, there's nothing to be sorry for. It's a natural thing for predators to bit their mates when they have sex."

"But I'm not a pred."

"You're also not a normal prey, are you?"

 _He has a point there._ Judy sighed. "Ever since the Museum incident, I've been having dreams of being bitten. The feeling had been so taboo and exciting that I didn't really understand what was happening at first. All I know is it was incredibly erotic. I just wanted to, you know, experience it again." She refused to look at him. "I...don't want it to stop."

Nick brought his paw to her cheek, raising it so they were staring into each others eyes. Moving his lips to hers, he kissed her hard. "Do you want to try it again?" he asked. She nodded excitedly. Leaning forward, Nick slowly opened his jaws, watching to see how Judy would handle it. This time, other than a look of lust and a shiver across her body, Nick didn't see any fear. Carefully placing them around her throat, he gently pressed down. The minute he did, two things happened. Judy began moaning incredibly loud, as if this was one of the best experiences she's ever had in her life. The forbidden pleasure from this simple act made her feel as if she was going to pass out. It was so wonderful. The second thing was Nick's primal urges awakened. Animal in the jaws either meant kill or it meant mate. The feeling was overwhelming. Judy snaked her hand down towards his hard shaft but the second she touched it, he drew back, removing his jaws from her.

Surprise and disappointment flashed across her face. Nick saw this and cupped her cheek. "Don't worry, Carrots. I'm not finished with you. We just need to lay this out before someone gets hurt." Judy started to protest but decided to see the next step. He moved his jaws to her shoulder, coming over the top and down to a few ribs. Closing his jaws lightly, he teethed this area, noticing her decreased reaction to flesh between his teeth than before. Letting her moan a few times as he licked her, he pulled back. "Was that good?"

Judy nodded. "It wasn't as good as the first. Can we do it around my throat again?"

Nick shook his head. "Listen Fluff, I need to explain this one. For foreplay, I can put my jaws around your neck. But for the actual event, we can't do it. It's too dangerous." Nick cut off Judy as she opened up her mouth. "I know you're strong Carrots. but it's not possible. It's not about your physical strength or your mental conditioning. It's far too dangerous." He sighed for a minute before continuing. "Vixens are able to handle the bite during mating because of two things. First, they have much denser fur. Yours is very short and has no protection against my teeth. Second, their necks are wider, meaning the jaws don't need to clamp so tightly to get a grip. If I latched onto you and one of us made the tiniest slip, even just a paw sliding on the sheet, it could cause a tear and you would die. I'm not willing to take that risk. I can guarantee you though, when we're mating you won't even notice the difference on where I bite you," he growled, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

With that, he flipped onto her stomach. She was surprised at first before understanding swept over her face. Raising her hips up, she felt his tongue start to probe her. "If you ever leave me, I'm taking that tongue in the divorce." Nick snorted before continuing his lapping. Deciding to push the boundaries, he started his tongue at the base of her clit, then slowly trailed it up until he swept all the way up her back. Judy gasped sharply as she realized what he just done. The sensations were overwhelming and words failed her as she let out a small groan. Taking that as a positive sign, Nick repeated the action, causing her to begin moaning loudly. Switching to just focusing on her sex, he began pushing his tongue deeper into her. When she started panting, he pulled back and climbed behind her. Feeling his hips brush hers, she raised up to allow him better entrance, her tail wagging excitedly.

Knowing how wet she was, he took no time in thrusting inside of her. The sudden fullness she felt was incredible. She was surprised there had been no pain, but she supposed she's used to him enough by now that her body readily accepts him. The welcome feeling of being claimed vanished as he withdrew, eliciting a moan of protest only to feel him thrust back in just as strongly. He began a rhythm, steadily thrusting into her over and over. His strokes becoming longer and his thrusts becoming harder, she was lost to a sea of pleasure. Time had no meaning for her anymore, only the feeling of bliss her mate was giving her as he claimed her.

As she neared her peak, he withdrew before slamming into her much harder, pushing his knot past her entrance, locking them together in the most intimate of ways. She cried out as she felt herself stretch to accept all of him into her. This was by far her favorite part of their physical acts. The intimacy, the joining, the pleasure...all of it stood to heighten her needs. He thrust further into her, reaching depths none of her kind would ever have been able to, consuming her fully. She was about to release herself when she felt him lunge forward, grabbing her shoulder with his jaws. She screamed with the pain as she felt him break her skin, small blood droplets beginning to form. Nick couldn't contain himself. The taste of blood mixed with the feelings in his member was too much and he came harder than he ever had. Feeling him shoot inside her, Judy writhed as she came as well, the wave she had been riding spilling over her.

Nick pulled away and started licking her wounds. "I'm sorry if I hurt you," he said as he continued lapping up the blood.

Judy reached up and scratched beneath his chin, eliciting a throaty purr. "Don't worry, sweetie. That was incredible." She leaned back to kiss him as they re-marked each other.

As they continued kissing and stroking each other, they heard a loud knock at the door. "Uhh, come back later?" cried Nick as his bunny stifled a laugh.

"ZPD. We have a report of a domestic assault. Open up!"

They stared at each other in confusion. "Who said there was an assault?" Nick yelled to the officer.

"Sir open up the door."

"Wait. McHorn?"

"...Wilde? What the hell?"

"Hey buddy, " Nick laughed.

"Uh, well, this is a bit embarrassing but we still need you to open the door."

"We can't right now," yelled Judy.

"Who is that? Hopps? What are you two doi-...oh. OH." They heard some heavy shuffling outside from the embarrassed rhino. "I'm gonna...I'm gonna just go. So, ummm, have a good night."

"We already did!" yelled Nick, hearing a loud stumble outside the door. Judy smacked him on the arm while laughing.


	25. Chapter 25 - Heroes? Really?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Disney owns Zootopia. I own Zootopia. Therefore logic dictates that I am Disney and apparently I am suing myself. Hope I win.

The fox and bunny duo sat in one of the booths on the window side of the diner, waiting for Mrs. Wilde to join them for lunch. For once it was Judy who was the patient one whereas Nick was getting very jittery, although this could be due to the overabundance of coffee he was drinking.

"Slow down, Nick. That's your 7th cup in the last 30 minutes." She reached out a paw and placed it on his arm.

"I'm  _fine_ , Carrots," he snapped.

Taken aback, she retracted her paw before scowling. "Fine, but don't come crying to me when your stomach is killing you later." She crossed her arms and sat silently.

Nick looked over at her, seeing her foot beginning to thump against the seat. "I'm sorry, Carrots. I'm a bit on edge, partially due to the coffee, partially due to my mom being so late. But I shouldn't have snapped at you. I was out of line."

Judy stared at Nick. He had never been like this in all the time she had known him. The last two weeks had brought such a change in him it was unbelievable. He was more open to her, more trusting, more polite. Even his normal pranks and tricks had become gentler around her. She raised her eyebrow. "I really messed you up, huh?"

Nick let out a barking laugh. "That's exactly what Finnick asked me last week. Yes. Yes you did. But I'll let you in on a secret. It's only for you." Judy's cheeks blushed.

The bell above the door had them whipping around to see an older vixen walk into the diner. Clad in a simple green business suit and skirt, she was clutching a purple handbag looking a bit flustered. Looking around, she saw them and raised her paw in greeting. Walking up, she grabbed the seat across from them. "Nicholas. Judy. I'm so glad to see you. Have you been waiting long?"

"Not too-" Judy began before Nick cut her off.

"We've been here for 45 minutes, mom. It's our last day off and I'm not thrilled to have been sitting here waiting."

"Nick!" Judy elbowed him in the side. "First of all, we didn't get a 'day off', we were suspended. Second, your mom is probably juggling a lot with her new promotion. Now are you going to behave?" Nick nodded glumly. "Good. Now give me a kiss and apologize to your mother."

Nick pecked her lips before turning back to his mother. "Sorry mom."

Glancing back and forth between the two of them, her face was rather confused. Judy held her breath, expecting maybe another problem like she had seen with her father before seeing Mrs. Wilde's face explode into a grin. Throwing back her head, she laughed joyfully. "You really have him wrangled, don't you Judy?"

The couple looked over at her, surprised by the unexpected outburst. Nick swallowed hard. "You're not...mad?"

The vixen scowled at her son. "Why would I be mad, Nicholas? You found a great female who keeps you on your toes and on a short leash. It's everything I could want in a daughter-in-law."

"But Mrs. Wilde, how-" Judy began before she was cut off.

"Judy, how many times do I have to say it? Call me Celia. And now that you're my son's mate it's even more important to do so."

Judy blushed before continuing. "Okay Celia. How did you even know about us? You weren't shocked by our little PDA a few minutes ago?"

Celia was confused. "Haven't you seen it all plastered on the net?"

Judy and Nick both slapped paws to their faces. Of course. After spending 4 days on a farm with no technology, they had forgotten all about Clawhauser's little  _faux pas._ "Well, what's it say, Ma? Are we being demonized? Is there a petition to tar and feather us?"

Celia looked even more shocked. "You two really don't know? You two have been turned into idols!"

Judy's jaw dropped. "WHAT?!"

The older vixen nodded enthusiastically. "The 'Heroes of Zootopia' became the 'heroes for everyone.' If a fox and a bunny could become friends, partners, and even mates, then there is no limit to how our society can grow. You two have become the epitome of the Zootopian dream."

The fox and bunny looked at each other, beaming with happiness. "You always said it, Fluff. 'Anyone can be anything.' Looks like we just turned that from a bumper sticker into a monument." Nick grabbed his menu and started browsing. "Seriously though, I am starving and experiencing some pain from too much coffee on an empty stomach. I need sustenance!" Judy and Celia both laughed before grabbing their own menus.

* * *

Back at the apartment, the 'heroes of Zootopia' decided that a light dinner and cuddling up with a movie would be a great end to the day. Judy was snuggled into her fox's side while his arm encircled her waist, bringing her closer into him. "Nick?"

"Yeah Carrots?"

"Did you ever think that us admitting our feelings would work out like this?"

"Not at all. To be honest I was so scared I'd ruin our friendship I didn't think I would ever say anything. The thought of losing you was unbearable but I just had to know. I'm really glad I did though."

Judy sighed as snuggled in closer. "Me too." She thought about what he had said, realizing a lot of mirrored truths in her own actions as well. The only difference being that she couldn't bring herself to be brave enough to say anything.  _Luckily her big, bad fox was there to save the day,_  she smiled. "Hey Nick?" He looked down at her. "Take me to bed."


	26. Chapter 26 - Change of plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I hid in the office of Disney's manager and ambushed him while he was screwing his secretary demanding I be given ownership of Zootopia. I was thrown out the 17th story window. Happiest place on Earth, my ass...

A proud rabbit stood in front of the full length mirror, her grin stretched wide as she looked at herself in her ZPD blues. She had been dying to get into these ever since they had been suspended, and, besides a little role-playing the other night, this was her first morning to do so. She could not wait to get back to the precinct and join the force.  _First I get my badge, then I find out who my new partner will b-._ At that she broke off her train of thought. Looking over at her  _other_ partner who was still searching for his pants, she was filled with a sense of doubt. Not over the decision they had made, she would never change that if she was given eternity. No, what she felt was a pang of loss for both of them. They had been such a tremendous team, finding a rhythm no other pair could. Their thoughts flowed together as if they were connected, always knowing what the other one was going to do, always ready to wordlessly back them up. And now, they were going to be broken up. Her eyes began to water as she thought about not being with him in the car each day.

"Carrots," came her mate's soft voice. "Are you okay?" Seeing his bunny wipe her eyes and nod with a jerk of head, he sighed. "Carrots, I know you aren't. Don't ever feel you need to lie to me even to spare my feelings, okay?" This time she let out a small sniffle before nodding truthfully. Taking her chin in his paw, he raised her head to look him in the eye. "I know what you're upset about. I've been thinking about it too. But this is what we wanted. First thing in the morning, last thing at night."

Judy smiled as she raised her own paw to his cheek. "I know. But don't think for an instant I'm not going to miss my fox during the daytime."

Nick chuckled, "Nor I you, my beautiful bunny. And we both know that we can make up for whatever time we lost tonight."

"Mmmm," Judy cooed as she turned and wrapped her fox's arms around her. "I definitely like the sound of that." She patted his arms and withdrew from his embrace. "For now though, we need to get to work. Don't want to be late on our first day back. We'll grab some coffee and a muffin on the way."

"Don't forget Ben's extra box of donuts," He reminded her.

Judy rolled her eyes. "Now how could I forget  _that_?"

"By the way Carrots. You think tomorrow we can go back to showering together in the morning? Would certainly help improve my mood." He brushed his tail over the back of her legs.

Smirking at him, she purred as she raised herself up to his ear, pulling his tie to get him closer. "Of course we can. You just have to get up earlier." Planting a kiss on his cheek she skipped out the door.

 _There's always a catch,_ he thought grimly, locking the door on his way out.

* * *

"Squeeeaa-!" Clawhauser's shrill cry echoed across the ZPD lobby. Not sure if it was the arrival of the new couple or the extra box of donuts they had brought him, most watched the scene unfold with a few smirks. "You guys are the best! And congrats on becoming mates, it's so wonderful. We all knew you would eventually, you guys were just the last to know, hehe!"

Laying the box down on the desk, Nick jumped back quickly as Ben snaked out a paw with reflexes that betrayed his overly large figure. "Thanks, Spots. Glad to be back. Enjoy em big guy. We gotta head to the bullpen."

"Ohm mmm-ay you two. Good luck!"  _World's most perfect couple right there. I only wish they were still partners, but I don't think Bogo will budge on this one._ Clawhauser sighed before reaching for another donut.

Heading into the bullpen, Nick and Judy weren't surprised to see nothing had changed. The ZPD was nothing if not consistent unless you counted the two small officers in the middle of the room. A silence fell over the room as each officer became aware of their presence.

"Uhh, hey?" Nick gave a small wave.

"Hopps and Wilde are back!" they heard several large mammals cheer as they pounded their fists and a few slapped Nick on the back. "We were beginning to miss you," yelled Fangmeyer. "Well, mainly Hopps but you got tossed into a few conversations as well."

Nick chuckled at the good-natured jab. "Hey, without my better half I wouldn't have even come in today. OW!" He rubbed his ribs where Judy had elbowed them. "Police brutality, Carrots. Not cool."

"Technically I don't have my badge yet, so it's regular domestic violence," she grinned.

"Speaking of which..." Nick trailed off as he saw a rhino at the front purposefully not looking their way. "Hey Officer McHorndog! Nice to see you. Do anything interesting over the weekend?" Nick didn't know it was possible, but he saw McHorn begin to blush.

"Hey Wilde." Nick looked over to see Delgato glaring at him, although with an amused smirk on his muzzle. "You broke my partner Saturday. Say you're sorry."

The rest of the bullpen were confused. "What happened Saturday?" asked Francine.

Nick grinned evilly as Judy tried to not laugh at the memory. "Let's just say there was a call sent out for a 'domestic dispute' and one very competent police rhino showed up to our front door." Seeing McHorn put his head in his paws Nick goaded him further. "Hey bud, it's not your fault. You couldn't have known it was the wrong kind of screaming," he finished as he wiggled his eyebrows. At this the bullpen lost it. Grizzoli sat there chuckling while Delgato roared with laughter. Wolford even started howling.

No one had noticed Chief Bogo walk in until his low voice cut through the noise instantly. "Well. Now that we're all here, I suggest everyone SIT. DOWN!"

Anyone not seated scrambled for theirs immediately. Judy and Nick vaulted up into their overlay large front row chair and froze under the glare of the massive Cape Buffalo. "It looks like we have two of our officers back after their recent suspension. Who cares."

"I care, sir," Nick cried out. "This savage bunny ironed her uniform a dozen times last night and twice more this morning. I had to get her outta the house!" The officers around him chuckled. Judy sent him a glare but could see in her eyes she wasn't really upset with him.

"Hmmph," Bogo snorted. "Either way, here are your badges, officers. I hate taking them away so let's not do this again shall we?"

"No sir!" they said in unison. Both small animals reached out and took their badges from the Chief. Judy shined hers a bit before putting it back on her uniform, beaming brightly. Nick was a little slower and if not for the shades he was wearing they might have seen a small tear form in the corner of his eye. This was what showed he had become a better mammal than he had been. It meant so much to him, almost as much as the mammal that had made him better that was beside him. Catching the small flick of his ear, Judy knew her fox was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed and put her paw on his leg and squeezed it to support him. Giving her a small smile he mouthed "Thanks" before putting his badge on.

"Now you too, reassignments," Bogo began before the pair cut him off.

"Wait sir, we haven't even told you our decision."

The buffalo peered over his glasses. "Hopps. You and I, this room, Clawhauser, and the  _entire_   _internet_  knew about your decision before you left the precinct that day. Hell, I had you two reassigned 20 minutes after you walked out of my office. Now, shall we continue wasting time or should I just tell you who your new partners are?"

Judy looked down at her feet abashed mumbling something that sounded like 'partners.'

"Alright then. Judy you will be paired with Francine." At that Judy looked up and glanced over at the elephant. She gave Judy a grin and waved her over. Looking over at Nick and seeing him smirking at her, she patted his arm before hopping down and heading over to Francine to a chair that was surprisingly her size. "Now," Bogo continued. "One of the reasons you and Wilde were partnered up originally was because you are both smaller mammals. It made sense to pair you two based on size. However, now that that option is gone we've decided on a new plan. You and Francine will act in concert, being able to cover both large and small situations." Judy was satisfied with that answer and she and Francine awaited their assignment.

Bogo turned to Nick who looked at him expectantly. "Wilde you will be paired with Wolford." Nick was a bit stunned but overly pleased with that decision. He and the wolf were on friendly terms. He could easily see them working well together.

"Excellent. So what kind of awesome reason will he and I be working together?"

The Chief glared at the fox. "Frankly Wilde he was the only one who would agree to be your partner."

The room started laughing hard before suddenly calming down as they saw the fox's ears lay back and his muzzle start to turn into a snarl.

"You mean to tell me, that after all the months at the academy, the months here, proving myself day after day, not to mention helping solve the biggest case in history before I even joined, and only  _Wolford_  wanted to be my partner? Do you know what that tells me?!" The room had gone deathly quiet, most mammals looking ashamed. "It tells me...that Wolford is fucking nuts and I don't want to be his partner anymore!" The moody spell was broken as the other officers all laughed heartily. Scooting back, he gave Wolford a fist bump before joining him at the table.

"QUIET!" commanded Bogo. "Assignments..."

* * *

Francine and Judy had been assigned to patrol the Rainforest district, the idea being they could settle in as partners and learn the ropes of each other. They quickly found themselves in a groove. They both admired each other and were already friends before this and got along great. The day was rather dull so they exchanged stories on family and friends. What sister was seeing whom, which brother was getting into sports, usual chit chat. Eventually things turned to their respective relationships with Francine hanging onto every word as Judy laid out the last two weeks for the elephant, keeping out some of the more personal things like with her father (although she did mention the taser incident which made Francine laugh hard enough they had to pull over). All in all it was a rather productive day for the rabbit and her new partner.

* * *

_Meanwhile in Sahara Square..._

"Dude," laughed Wolford. "You fucked a bunny."

Nick grinned. "Yep. Yep I did."

* * *

Immediately upon arriving home, Judy had slammed the door shut and launched herself at her fox. She kissed everywhere she could reach before hauling herself up his body, locking her legs around his waist. Nick wasted no time in getting past his shock as he firmly grasped her ass, returning each kiss with eagerness. Judy grasped his head with both paws and dragged him to her neck, letting his muzzle press into her skin, feeling him nuzzling her fur. "Niiick," she moaned into his ear. "Bed." Nick carried her to their room, her thighs still locked around him. As he began to lay her down, she let go and planted her feet on the bed. With a large push, she flipped him on his back as she straddled his chest. Looking at him with lust in her lavender eyes, she stood over him and slowly peeled off her uniform, dropping the garments over his face one by one. The last to go were a pair of black lace panties which he helped her slide them off. As Nick worked on getting his clothes off, Judy crawled up further placing herself directly over his muzzle. Getting the obvious hint, her fox slowly dragged his tongue over her hot sex. The bunny moaned as she began rubbing her paws over herself. Nick barely had his pants off before Judy was reaching back and stroking his hard shaft, He could tell she needed this bad. Moving his paws between her legs, he separated her folds as he drove his tongue inside her. Rewarded with the sounds of her panting, he alternated between licking her and driving forward until he started feeling her shake before she clamped down on his tongue as she came.

Feeling content for the moment, she turned to focus on her fox who was in desperate need of release.  _We can't have that, can we?_ Sliding herself down to his shaft, she grasped it with both paws, moving them up and down. As his head thrashed around, Nick began his own panting causing Judy to smile. She stuck her tongue out and ran it from the base of his shaft to the top watching him shudder with pleasure. She could tell he was getting close, but she wasn't going to let him cum yet. Pulling away, she noted the whimpering the fox was making, his arms stretching out to her.

"Don't worry, sweetie. I'll take good care of you." Moving up his body, she paused as she straddled his hips. Looking down at him, she saw the emerald eyes of the male she loved, consumed with lust and longing. Grasping his member, she positioned it at her entrance, rubbing it back and forth across the lips of her sex. She watched as Nick's eyes fluttered at the sensation, wanting to please him the way he did her. She slowly pressed down, letting his size fill her once more. She slid inch by inch until he was fully inside her. She began raising her hips up and down, slowly milking his shaft. She knew he would like nothing better than to grab her and ravage her but she was pleased by his willingness to wait.

After a few minutes of slowly teasing him, she started earnestly fucking him, driving down harder and harder with each time she raised up. She felt him start thrusting back into each of her movements. Grabbing the two large paws of her fox, Judy placed them on her hips, allowing him to pull her down into each of his thrusts as she resumed running her hands all over her torso. She felt him start to grow larger and knew he would soon cum inside of her. Pulling up, she readied herself. Nick saw what she was planning and grabbed her hips to steady her. As she began to feel the beginning of her orgasm, she dropped down hard, slamming the knot through and into her, blinding her and her mate as they lost themselves, cumming together.

Their orgasmic high fading, Judy snuggled into the chest of her fox, ready for their 'mandatory cuddle time.'

"Hey Carrots? Was the fact we were separated all day the reason you jumped me tonight? Not that I'm complaining, mind you."

Judy sighed as she looked up at him. "Partly. I miss you out there, Nick. Francine's nice and a capable partner, but she's just not you."

"Yeah. Wolford's the same way. I like the guy but his sense of humor is either dry or overly dirty. Nothing in-between. I wish there was something we could do."

Even in the dark, Nick could see the evil smile that crept across his mate's face. "Oh there is. And I have a plan."


	27. Chapter 27 - Promises, promises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Seriously I'm not sure if you all just needed some fluff or what but I'm thrilled you have all loved this story.
> 
> Disclaimer: Disney finally sent me a cash bribe of 20 Mickey dollars to stop bugging them. I took it immediately. Then I went to Disney World. Do you know how much 20 Mickey dollars is? I had to use those 20 Mickey dollars and a $10 bill to buy a pencil with a Donald eraser. Goddammit.

_**A month later...** _

Chief Bogo sat behind his desk reading the reports of his newest officers. Teaming them up with other officers had seemed good on paper. Having partners in a relationship had always been seen as a negative impact on the force. Two mammals who cared more for the other than their city? It was the worst possible outcome for everyone. Reading their reports recently had begun to give him headaches even worse than before, if such a thing was even possible. Wilde had become even more aloof in his writing, barely mentioning the details of his arrests or patrols. He tended to ramble on for pages to explain what had happened even during a simple purse snatching. Hopps on the other hand had become so straightforward in hers that an arson investigation consisted of two paragraphs that offered  _zero_  insight.

 _They're doing this on purpose,_ he mused _. They have to be. It's some sort of revenge. They're trying to drive me to retirement. Probably even insanity._ Reaching into his side drawer, he pulled out a bottle of scotch and a tumbler. Grimacing at the fact it was only 9 am, he poured himself a generous portion, draining it in one shot before refilling the glass. He rubbed his temples, wishing for the pain to vanish knowing full well that until he went home to his family he would be in agony.  _I hate those two._

Hearing commotion outside the door, he gritted his teeth.  _Not again._

Officers Fangmeyer and Delgato burst into the room, not even pausing to knock on the door. Bogo looked up at them and snorted heavily. The two officers knew from the vein pulsing over his eye that they were treading on thin ice, but their concern vanished as Bogo let out a deep sigh. "Let me guess. Hopps?" Fangmeyer nodded. "Wilde?" Delgato gave a curt nod as well.

 _Of course it was_. Bogo stood and moved over to the window, staring out at the courtyard below the precinct. What he wouldn't give to be one of the mammals down below for even an hour just to get away from this horrendous situation. "Let me hear it," Bogo commanded.

Fangmeyer took a deep breath. "Look Chief, we know you like Hopps. Frankly she's one of, if not  _the_  best officer we have, but she's not the same anymore."

"Explain."

"She has no individuality anymore. She has sunk so far into the interpretation of the law that there's no flex with her at all. She pulled over a rhino yesterday for going 26 in a 25 and gave him a $125 ticket. Then, when he went to dispute it, she sent me to court because, as she found in the rule book for the station, a 'senior officer must handle all legal and court issues of his subordinate.' I didn't even know that was a rule! She even ticketed our cruiser when she wasn't even doing the meters. I  _still_  don't know where she got the ticket machine."

The Chief snorted before turning back to the pair. "And you Delgato?"

Delgato seemed fit to burst. "Chief I can't do it anymore. He's absolutely insane! At first his jokes were amusing but after an hour of non-stop crass jokes I was ready to strangle him on our first day together. He doesn't seem to want to do any paperwork at all. Nobody does. But he literally just copied my report and pasted it into his worksheet. Not to mention his pranks are out of hand. Yesterday he programmed the siren to play 'What Does the Fox Say' at max volume. I didn't know you could even  _do_  that."

Bogo picked up the report on that incident. "It says here he also caught a thief in under ten seconds with this method," looking over his glasses at the lion.

"Only because the thief was so confused that Wilde was able to get out faster than the antelope knew what was happening."

"So an unorthodox but nevertheless effective tactic resulted in the apprehension of a criminal and you feel the need to complain about it?" Bogo glared at the lion who shrunk back a little. Bogo turned his gaze to the tiger in front of him. "And a cop being so by the book that they know the rules better than officers who have been here for years is a problem to you?" Fangmeyer grimaced before shaking his head. "Then what is the problem here?"

A lion and tiger shared a glance between them before Fangmeyer spoke. "Chief, you don't understand what it's like with those two. I don't know how, but Wilde was able to inspire Hopps to be exemplary and now she's become a robot. She doesn't take pride in her work anymore."

"And somehow Hopps was able to wrangle Wilde even before they were a couple. Being able to handle his sass and sarcasm for that long is a miracle." Delgato silently prayed before uttering his next line. "You have to put them back together. Grizzoli says if he gets assigned to them he's taking his stockpiled 4 months of vaca. McHorn still can't even look at them after last month."

Chief Bogo sat back down and dropped his head into his hooves.  _It's Francine and Wolford all over again._ 2 weeks ago the partners he assigned to Hopps and Wilde had barged into his office very much like this. Both of them had had enough of the two lovebirds. They also suggested putting them back together but he thought that a new set of partners might be a better solution.  _Obviously it was not._ "The two of you just get out." Fangmeyer and Delgato were happy to oblige as they moved quickly out of the door.

Muttering under his breath, he saw the light on his phone flash. Noticing the caller ID, he grit his teeth. Composing himself he picked up the receiver. "Mister Mayor. What can I do for you?" As if he didn't know. Several times a week over the last month the mayor had called trying to pressure Bogo into having Hopps and Wilde be partnered again. He never made it an order, but he pushed for it heavily. He knew why. The 'Heroes of Zootopia' were a critical part of his campaign re-election strategy and the citizens not seeing them together out on the street was hurting his numbers. "Yes sir...Yes sir I know...It's a policy th-...No I understand...Yes well we don't need to go that far...I've already decided to go that direction...Yes...Understood. Goodbye Mister Mayor."

Putting the phone down the Chief rubbed his temples before grabbing the scotch on his desk. Throwing his head back, he again drained the glass before standing up and walking to the door. Moving to the balcolny he grabbed the railing and bellowed.

"HOPPS! WILDE! MY OFFICE  _NOW_!"

* * *

An hour later after being yelled at by Bogo, a very happy looking fox and bunny walked down the stairs to the lobby. Grinning at each other, they exchanged playful shoves, each complimenting the other on their performances. Judy laughed, "The siren change was brilliant."

"Not as brilliant as finding a way for Fangmeyer to be stuck in court for a day over a 1mph speeding ticket." Judy took a deep bow. As they passed the receptionist desk, Nick called out to the portly cheetah. "Spots.  _Our_  keys please."

Ben squealed happily seeing his two favorite officers standing there so pleased with themselves. As he tossed them the keys to their specialty cruiser he could't stop himself from asking, "How did you guys get teamed back together?"

Judy and Nick looked at each other before turning back and smiling. Nick stood pointing the keys at Clawhauser while Judy stuck out her hip letting her ears flop down as they said in unison.

_"It's called a hustle, sweetheart."_

**-Fin-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it! My first fanfic ever and my first foray into writing in half a decade. I hope you enjoyed it!


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